Haunting
by Emotional-Hikari
Summary: (COMPLETED) Youji has finally found his answer to the mystery, but Morse refuses to see his chance. Now it is Ken's turn to try and make sense of this house, and why he seems to remember things in the place. Pls R
1. Prologue: Haunted House

Author's notes: None that I really need. Disclaimers: Don't belong to me, which is a good thing for them. I torture massively on characters!! Ha, ha, ha!! Warnings: Shonen ai, Youji + Ken, Omi + Aya (No, I'm not following first person is dominate.)  
  
~~*~~  
  
Ken took one look, then decided he wanted to go back. Clouds were forming around the area, rain threatening to pour; glass panes were smashed, coated with dull cobwebs; wooden planks were missing, leaving unusually holes on the house. A pillar on the porch was bent and twisted, the roof above ready to fall; the grass was writhed and dry, the only tree stood crooked and lifeless. Ken shuddered as the wind blew through the crooks, making an eerie sound.  
  
"I - am - not - going - in - there!" Turning to the others, fear marked on his face. Aya glared at him, silently scowling him there was no talk in this. Ken swallowed, nodding his head; turning back to the house. Omi looked over to Ken, feeling just as scared as he was. Examining the house closer, Omi could have sworn he saw someone watching them through a window. He kept it silent though; he didn't want to make the others think he was a coward.  
  
"Let's go!" Aya pushed the gates open, cringing on rusty hinges. Youji followed nonchalantly behind, with Ken and Omi moving slightly hesitate. Walking in silence across the path to the door was the most frighten experience for Ken and Omi. The eyes of creatures seem to glow, giving a sense of a demonic aura. Being too scared, the two didn't realize how slow they were walking and how far behind they were; something rustled in the bushes near them. The two stopped; all attention turned on the bush; edging away a black shadow arose from the bushes into the air. Ken screamed, running ahead of Omi to Youji and Aya; Omi followed, but held back his cried of terror. Stopping, Youji and Aya waited for the two to catch up; once there they continued on.  
  
"Baka!" Ken stared at Aya, but followed closely behind. With only a few more freak shots from Ken and Omi, they made it to the door. Youji lifted a hand to knock, when Ken spoke up.  
  
"DON'T!!" Youji paused, looking at Ken with a puzzled look.  
  
"Don't what?" Ken shook his head.  
  
"Don't open it! I don't want to go in! I hate this mission!!" Youji narrowed his eyes at him; Aya shook his head then helped Youji move heavy oak doors. Dragging Ken inside, the doors remained open instead of closing by themselves.  
  
"See, it's not haunted! Ken you can be such an idiot sometimes." Youji turned Ken around, removing his hands from his face. Looking around the house, there were at least three floors to inspect and each had about 10-13 rooms on them.  
  
"We should split up into two groups. it'll be faster that way." Ken shivered slightly; Omi nodded hesitantly with Youji.  
  
"Who goes with who?" Aya pointed out the groups; Youji shook his head.  
  
"You're not putting me with this scared-cat!!" Youji waver a hand at Ken, who was practically jumping at the slightest noise. "You're going with Ken and that's finally!!" Youji crossed his arms, glaring back at the redhead.  
  
"There is no way I'm dragging Ken with me. You can't make me!!"  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Why do these things always happen to me?" Youji shone the flashlight ahead, with Ken walking on his heels. Occasionally when he stopped to look, Ken kept bumping into him shuddering like an idiot.  
  
"Will you walk at least 4 inches away from me?? You're so close I can feel your breath at my neck!" Ken shrank back, dropping his head down. He didn't want this; he didn't want to be stuck in a haunted house - especially with Youji's current attitude. // Stupid mission!! Why did we have to come here? I don't like this. damn it Ken, get a grip of yourself. You're too old to believe in superstitious things. // Ken continued walking, but much slower then Youji; lost in his own thoughts, Ken suddenly felt something net his face. Because he had no light, he began to struggle, but couldn't grasp at the thing on his face. He felt his heart beat running wild, he was panicking, really panicking; he had only one chance left.  
  
He screamed.  
  
Youji turned around, hearing a familiar voice not too far down the hall. Without haste, he ran back down the hall, flashing the light at Ken. Youji sighed, dropping his head down; Ken continued to swat at whatever attacked him. Youji went up to him, pulling the web off his face. Ken stopped at the feeling of the web being pulled off; Ken let out his breath, giving Youji an apologetic smile.  
  
"Arigato." Youji back - handed Ken across the face, leaving a red mark on his cheek.  
  
"BAKA!! It was just a spider web!! You walked into it!" Ken kept his head to the side; slightly embarrassed he did that. He turned his head back to face Youji's angered face.  
  
". Gomen ne." Youji sighed, shaking his head. This was annoying him; it was bad enough he had to do this, but it was worst to do it with someone who was superstitious. Turning his back on Ken, he continued walking.  
  
"You're a grown man, Ken. Not a five year old kid!" Ken looked up, feeling slightly hurt by that comment. He kept it silent, following Youji down the hall.  
  
~~*~~  
  
"ITAI!!" Aya paused, shining the light to where Omi was lying face first on the floor.  
  
"Daijoubu ka?" Omi picked himself up, nodding his head.  
  
"Hai, just tripped on the carpet. Nothing big, Aya-kun." Aya handed the flashlight to him; Omi looked at the object before looking at Aya.  
  
"You take the flashlight. it'll probably be better for you." Omi pouted at him; he pushed the flashlight away.  
  
"I'm fine, Aya-kun. I don't need the flashlight to see where I'm going." Aya sighed, shrugging his shoulders. He continued walking onwards down the dark hall.  
  
"Have it your way." Aya turned right into the next room, searching through dusty papers on a desk. All too soon he heard a thump, followed by a familiar yelp. Sighing, he flashed the light at Omi, who again was faced down on the floor. Omi got up, rubbing his nose; he'd tripped over a footrest. Aya helped him to his feet, then shoved the flashlight into his hands.  
  
"Take it; you need it more than I do!" Omi held on to the light.  
  
"What about you, Aya-kun? How will you see then?"  
  
"I'd be better off even with the light; now let's go!" Omi felt the heat rise to his face; he was glad Aya was looking in the other direction. Recovering, he followed Aya out of the room and back into the hallway. He felt scared now, even more scared then before. // I don't know how much longer I can hold this!! // Omi began to wonder if Youji and Ken were having better luck then they were. Omi snickered slightly. // I wonder how Youji-kun is handling Ken-kun? // Aya abruptly stopped; unaware Omi bumped into him, his thoughts slowing down to a halt.  
  
"Aya-kun." Aya relaxed slightly, continuing on walking down. Omi blinked before rushing after him, coming up to his side.  
  
"Um, Aya-kun? I've been thinking." Aya looked at Omi from the corner of his eye, making a small noise of recognition.  
  
"Do you think it was a good idea to let Youji-kun take care of Ken-kun?" Aya stopped, then looked to Omi. He was holding the flashlight towards the ground, hiding most of his features, but Aya could see his eyes. He could see the fear the boy had; that fear he was feeling right now; Omi was just as scared as Ken and more.  
  
"They'll be fine. It's not like Youji is going to let him run away."  
  
"Hm, true. Youji-kun doesn't seem to be afraid, but don't you think he'd be a little bit scared?" Aya shook his head, moving forward again.  
  
"The ghost he sees is the ghost of Neu. he'll just mourn, not run."  
  
"Aya-kun!!" Omi pouted, trying to scowl at the redhead without luck. He knew Youji wasn't here and wouldn't hear that comment, but it still wasn't very nice to say. Aya stopped, turning back to him.  
  
"Gomen." Omi sighed, catching up to him. He shined the light down the hall, hoping that they wouldn't find anything. // I hope no one knows that I'm afraid of this. //  
  
~~*~~  
  
Youji was annoyed, completely annoyed. He had no idea how his patience was handling this. Ken was following right at his heels again, leaving about few centimeters to an inch space between them. Youji stopped, Ken bumped into him as always. Youji pulled away while Ken smiled very sheepishly.  
  
"Okay, there are two rooms here. If we split up we'll get this done a lot faster." Ken stared wide-eyed at Youji; dropping his mouth slightly. Closing it, he shook his head.  
  
"I'm not going in there on my own!! Why can't we go together??" Youji sighed, handing Ken the flashlight then giving Ken a good shove towards the door.  
  
"You want to get out of here, right? So the quicker we search, the faster we get the hell out of here, okay? Besides, there are no such things as ghosts and creeps!!" Ken thought a moment; Youji did have a point. After much time, Ken nodded his head slowly. Smiling, Youji let him go heading for the room across the hall.  
  
"Just yell if something jumps at you." With that, he closed the door and began searching. The room was heavy with dust and cobwebs' hanging from varies areas; bumping against something Youji ran his hand across it. It was only a desk with papers and what felt like pens or feathers. He continued feeling his way around, completely devoided of light. He banged into something, hearing an object wobbling on the stool, he reach to catch it, but missed.  
  
~*~  
  
Ken stood in the hall, shivering in place. He hadn't moved since Youji disappeared into the room, and still hasn't moved. // Get a grip!! Just go in and look, then come back out; it's so simple!! // Yet Ken still found himself standing in the hall, making no movements to the door. Finally, after much pondering and gathering the courage, he walked to the door. Ken gulped, reaching out for the handle; he jumped to a crash sound and a yelp from the other room. // Youji!! // Without second thought, Ken ran to the other room.  
  
~*~  
  
Youji cursed as he pulled his glove off. Bringing his hand closer to his face, he inspected the cut. It wasn't too deep, but it stinged more then anything. Youji sighed, looking down at the mess on the floor; he'd banged into a stool which a housed a glass vase on it. Apiece bounced off and scraped his hand, but not fast enough to actually damage. Pulling his glove back on, he headed for the door; nothing he found out of the ordinary. Before he even got to the door, Ken came bursting in.  
  
"YOUJI!!" Youji jumped back, but Ken pounced him before he could move away. Taking back, Youji fell to the floor with Ken falling down with him. Ken looked up at Youji, his heart beating a million.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Ken?" Youji rubbed the back of his head, sounding very unpleased with Ken.  
  
"I heard the crash. and y-you yelping. I-I-I t-t-thought you were in trouble. so I came to help and." Ken trailed off, he took a good look around at the situation at hand. Ken felt a small blush rise to his cheeks; he never really paid attention to the position until now. Somehow he had managed to land right in between Youji's legs. Ken dropped his head down; his mind was creating images on its own; images that made Ken hard. Ken hoped that Youji wouldn't notice the slight change; looking back up at the blond he tried to speak again, but could utter a word. Youji stared at him, blinking. Then a grin crossed his face, Ken's eyes widened. // No, he doesn't know, does he? //  
  
"Is little Kenken afraid of little noises in the dark?" Ken dropped his jaw, staring at him; it would seem that Youji was teasing him about being a scaredy-cat. Embarrassed, Ken pushed himself off the lanky blond blushing, though mainly because of the position they were in. Youji picked up the flashlight before getting up to his feet, grinning he walked ahead, leaving Ken in the dark. Frighten from the loss of light, Ken ran after him trying to keep up with Youji as much as possible. // I don't believe this?! Youji didn't even notice the position we were in!! I guess that saves me from that. //  
  
~~*~~  
  
Omi jumped, tugging at Aya's sleeve; Aya paused staring down at the boy. Omi was beginning to show more fear then he wanted; he was shaking on the spot. Aya pulled his arm out of the grip, moving ahead to the end. Omi stared at Aya, then ran to catch up with him.  
  
"There are two rooms left - I'll go search one room, you search the other." Omi made a small whimper noise, holding the flashlight tight in his grip.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"I don't want to go by myself, Aya-kun. I'm, I'm."  
  
"Scared." Omi meekly nodded, though it was said more of a fact then a question. Aya sighed, placing a hand on Omi's shoulder.  
  
"Look, it will be faster if we split up! You do want to get out of here, right? The faster this goes, the sooner we leave, okay?" Omi looked to the hand resting on his shoulder, then up at the owner; he nodded his head slowly. Aya gave a slight squeeze, then disappeared into the room; Omi stood there staring at the space where Aya was standing.  
  
After much time, he moved towards the door flashing the light well in front of him. Easing the door opening, he cautiously peeked in; the room was covered thickly with dust and dirt, the carpet was torn in varies places. Moving in more, he noticed a dresser with a faded mirror; he stood in an old bedroom. Something behind him moved scurrying across the room; tensed Omi shone the light in the general direction. A huge black shadow rushed towards him; freaked, he jumped away, only making a small noise. He focused his light on the shadow; Omi jumped even more when he saw it was a rat. Normally these things didn't bother him, but at the moment his nervous were jumping everywhere. The rat scurried away into the darkness; he followed; though he knew he would regret this.  
  
Omi shone the light low on the ground, coming up to the edge of a bed. He stopped breathing, raising the light up on the bed; bright blue eyes widened, his jaw dropping at least a foot. He heart stopped before beating again at a million; he couldn't say anything, he couldn't move, so he did the only thing he could do.  
  
He screamed.  
  
~*~  
  
Opening the chest, dust flew in all directions threaten to make him sneeze. Waving the dust away, he peeked in, finding nothing. Closing the chest Aya stood up to look around more. He just reached a small table when he heard a scream from outside the room. There was no one else to his knowledge with them and Ken wasn't that loud; that only left one possibility.  
  
"Omi." Aya grabbed his Katana, racing towards the door. He pulled the door hard enough to take it off its hinges. His shoulders relaxed a bit when he found the boy siting in front of the door across from him.  
  
"Oi, Omi. Daijoubu ka?" Aya reached a hand out to help him, but Omi jumped at him hanging for dear life. Aya felt himself tense, but he didn't push the boy away; Omi began to let tears slip from his eyes, not letting go of the redhead.  
  
"Aya-kun, I want to go back!! I don't want to stay here; I want to go back home!!" Aya stared at the crying mass. Taking the flashlight from him, he went to investigate what made Omi so upset. Omi won't let go of Aya, even though he was going back into the room that scared him.  
  
"I don't want to be in the dark, Aya-kun!!" Aya shook his head, finally letting the boy go with him. Easing the door opening carefully, the pair entered the room; Aya shined the light in varies places trying to pin point what could of scared Omi. Omi stopped, tugging on his trench coat sleeve; he pointed over to the bed. Aya shone the light in that direction, but was completely taking by surprise of what lied there. Catching the flashlight, he held it steadily at the sight. The bed was a bloody mess of bones and rotting skin; it was still fresh enough to smell, but the skin tissue and muscles had decomposed already, leaving bits of skin and whatever internal organs were left. Rats crawled in and out, nibbling on what was left of the body's meat; judging by torn clothing Aya could tell that it had been a woman once. He backed off slightly, Omi made a small whimpering noise; grabbing the boy by the wrist he dragged them both out immediately, slamming the door behind them.  
  
".Un, I-i." Omi began sinking to the floor, breaking into tears again; Aya leaned against the door, his breath a little harsh. // Maybe the rumors are true. // He turned his attention to crying boy on the floor. He couldn't help, but feel something warm inside him.  
  
"I like to go back now, Aya-kun." Omi buried his face in his hands, not wanting to be seen crying like this. He felt a hand cover his own, pulling them away from his face; Omi looked up at Aya to find him smiling a bit.  
  
"Aya-kun?" Aya pulled the boy closer to him, wrapping tender arms around him. Omi blushed; slightly surprised that Aya was doing this. Aya placed a hand under his chin, lifting it up towards him. Omi felt his face heat up more, when he felt Aya plant a small kiss on his forehead.  
  
"It's alright, Omi. As soon as we Youji and Ken, we'll leave." Omi nodded, feeling somewhat safer now and with a new feeling for Aya. Standing up, Aya helped him to his feet; taking the boy's hand the two went to find the others. Omi smiled, glad that he had friends he could always count on.  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Youji? Can we go back now?" Youji gripped the flashlight harder, trying to keep himself from ripping Ken apart. The brunette was currently hanging on to his sleeve, occasionally tugging or stopping along the way.  
  
"We have one more room to search Ken. Can you last until we're done?" Ken's grip tighten, hesitantly he nodded his head. Finally the pair reached the last room; pulling out of Ken's grip, Youji handed the light to him, pointing to the other side of the room.  
  
"You search the right, I'll search left. We'll get done a lot faster that way." Ken whined a little, but went to search anyways. Youji sighed, // Thank god that's over. // He started searching through a small chest, shifting dust and webs off the lid and the inside. Ken muttered silently to himself, cursing both the mission and Youji for not understanding his fear. Shining the light in all directions, he spotted a statue of a woman; she was posed in an elegant way - one arm above her head, while the other rested at her waist level. Curious, Ken investigated the statue; dusting off varies of places.  
  
"Oi, Youji! Take a look at this!" The blond turned his head, getting up to see what Ken could have found. Ken let out an impatience sigh, leaning on the arm of the statue he waited for Youji to get here. Unexpectedly, the arm shifted under his weight; fearing it had broken, Ken stood up off the arm, but the floor below them had dropped revealing a chute under the two. The two fell through, then slid the rest of the way; Youji slid face first and landed on the ground, lying on his stomach. Ken followed shortly after, landing on top of him; his face relatively close to the older man's face.  
  
"Ken, get off!!" Ken blushed, pushing himself up to a sitting position, but he found it didn't help at all. He stood up in lightening speed; glad that it was dark so Youji wouldn't see his face. Youji stood up, grumbling about the loss of the flashlight, turning to glare at Ken.  
  
"Ken! What the hell did you do this time?"  
  
"I don't know, I mean. I just leaned on the statue's arm and it sank underneath me and then the floor and that and." Youji raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms across his chest.  
  
"That explains why the furniture was nailed to the floor. and what?"  
  
"Where are we?" Ken looked around the dark room; an eerie sense in the air scared him. Youji twisted his head to the side, taking in the surroundings.  
  
"If I didn't know better, I said we're in a basement." Ken stared wide-eyed at him, his jaw dropping.  
  
"A b-b-basement??" Youji nodded, moving deeper into the darkness to find any source of light. Ken jumped, grabbing his arm again and shaking in the spot. Taking by surprise, Youji almost lost balance, leaning a table to maintain it.  
  
"Now what??" Ken shook his head, gripping tighter on Youji's arm.  
  
"The basement is the worst place to be!! Especially in a haunted house!" Youji sighed, trying to release his arm before Ken cuts off his blood circulation.  
  
"And why, might I ask, is it the worst place?"  
  
"Don't you know, the basement is where there are coffins - and ghosts come from them!!" Successfully pulling out of the scared man's grip, Youji used his other hand to strike him across the face. Shocked, Ken stayed looking to the side, unable to say a word.  
  
"Ken you're being childish!! There are no such things as ghost or coffins in basements!!" Ken turned his gaze back to him, then looked passed behind him; there was something back there with a familiar shape. Ken pointed behind, his heart beating faster.  
  
"O-oh y-y-yeah! Th-en what are. t-t-th-those?" Youji turned to the direction; behind them were four or five boxes, each had a similar shape to a humans. Youji sighed, shrugging his shoulders; going over to one of the coffins, he kicked at it. Ken screamed slightly, covering his eyes - nothing happened, Youji started at the brunette, then kicked the lid open.  
  
"See! There's nothing wrong with it!!" Ken peeked through his fingers, then dropped back entirely pointing to the coffin. Words were constricted in his throat; Youji gazed down into the coffin, finding it wasn't as empty as he had thought. Inside was a mass of bones, each layered with dry blood; blood layered the sides of the coffin. Looking back at Ken, who was just as pale as Aya now, Youji raised his eyebrow slightly expecting Ken to scream out. Instead, Ken shivered a moment, then passed out. Staring at the figure, Youji sighed, making his way over to Ken, he hoisted him up; dragging him through the dark, Youji tried to avoid banging into things or tripping over miscellaneous objects on the way. Finally, he came upon some stairs leading up to the hall they entered. // Bakayaroo!! Ken and his little superstitions. he's driving me up the wall!! // Youji missed a step, slipping downwards a little, but regained his balance and his hold on Ken. // Too close. Aya's the one who should be with Ken! At least Omi seemed brave, a little scared, but at least he was silent about it. // Finally reaching the top, Youji dragged Ken the rest of the way, settling him down on the carpeted floor. // Ken pounced me at least twice. well, second time was accidentally, but still. // Realization dawned on him when he remember how Ken had pounced and landed on him. The first time, Ken had landed in between his legs; the second time, he had landed on top of him, straddling him around the waist. Youji felt heat rise to his face, shaking it away he gazed down on the still whitewashed figure. // With all his little superstitions. he actually was kind of cute to see. // Youji felt a small smile curved up his lips, he kept his gaze on Ken studying his features. Shaking out of his observation trance, he decided to wake Ken up so they could find the others and get out of here.  
  
"Oi, Ken!" Reaching over, Youji gently shook Ken's shoulder; seeing it didn't work, he shook harder.  
  
"OI! Ken, wake up!!" Grabbing his jacket, Youji shook his whole upper body, trying to wake him up. Ken remained out cold.  
  
"Wake - up - Ken!!" He gritted through his teeth, striking him across the face, backhand and front hand. Ken remained oblivious; Youji had nothing left, but to use the last resort. Setting Ken back down on the floor, his placed a hand on his chin; slowly, Youji descended upon him, capturing Ken's mouth with his. It was only meant to be a small kiss, but Ken responded, subconsciously opening his mouth to the invasion. Youji's tongue slipped inside, deepening the kiss more, Ken's own reached out slowly in response. // This is too much!! // Youji placed both hands the floor to support himself; Ken reached up to wrap his arms around his neck, trying to pull him down. It took all his strength not dropped himself on the smaller man. Suddenly, Ken opened his eyes, staring up at Youji.  
  
"GAH!!" He pulled away blushing, jumping way back from Youji; Youji blinked at the younger man, then smiled his usually smile. Standing up, he extended a hand to Ken; Ken stared blankly at the palm in front of him.  
  
"You ready to go now?" Taking his hand, Ken stood up nodding his head vigorously.  
  
"As soon as we find the others, we'll leave. All right?" Ken nodded, happy that Youji was in a better mood now. Just at the moment, Aya and Omi showed up at the top of the stairs, making their way down. Youji was a little shocked when he saw the two coming, Ken stared with the same expression; Aya still look as cold as every, expect one slight detail - Omi was hanging on to his arm.  
  
"Youji." Youji shook his head, silencing Ken's whisper. Aya was well known for individuality, he never let anyone touch him, let alone hold him. Yet, here was Aya with little* Omi hanging on to him.  
  
"Omi and I didn't find anything, did you find anything?" Recovering from shock, the pair shook their heads.  
  
"We didn't find much. Oh and Ken and I searched the basement already, thanks to his clumsiness."  
  
"Oi, it's not my fault that happened!!" Ken's face turned slightly red, turning his face down to the floor. Aya pulled his arm from Omi's grip, heading towards the doors that were still open from when they had entered. Youji elbowed Ken in the side.  
  
"See! Told you the place wasn't haunted!" Ken narrowed his eyes at the taller man, hmfing. However, Ken still had an odd feeling in his stomach; something bad was going to happen, he knew it would.  
  
A low eerie whistle sounded through the halls, capturing all their attention. The doors flew shut, locking them inside, Omi jumped at Aya, burying his face in his arm. Ken grabbed Youji's arm, but Youji struggled to pull away. Light illuminated behind them; old candles and oil-lamps lit up on their own brighten the whole house. A mix between piano and violin music played through the air, the tune was silent and high pitched, giving a very eerily environment.  
  
"Aya, nani ka?" Aya shrugged, looking around the area before returning the stare.  
  
"No choice, we have to stay and." Youji stood patiently, waiting for the rest of the sentence. Aya looked to the boy gripping his arm momentarily then returned back to Youji.  
  
"And try to survive."  
  
End~  
  
MUH HA HA HA!! You read right, this is the end. of the prologue!! I'll probable have people pounding me to write more or something. so I'm going to be writing more on it. (When I get the time P ) Anyways.  
  
* I just couldn't resist calling Omi "Little"  
  
I hope you folks liked this story. Please review me and tell how I did. I would really appreciate it. Arigato gozaimashita!! I _ I - (Goth eyes or something. ^__^ ) 


	2. Chapter 1: Is better? Or Worse?

HIII!!! I'm here!! So let's dropped the mystery stuff and get to the chase.  
  
Author's note: None  
  
Disclaimer: Don't belong to me.  
  
Pairings: Youji + Ken, Aya + Omi.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Great, just great! First the mission, then that accident with the statue, then the basement and now this?! Stuck in a haunted house!!!"  
  
"Complain all you want, Ken, but it won't do any good." Ken grumbled slightly to himself, arms across his chest. Omi sat with his knees drawn to his chest, rocking back and forth a little; Aya sat next to him occasionally taking a peek or two at the shivering boy. What seemed like an easy task, just turned for the worse. After searching through every corner of the house, nothing disturbed them, but when they leaving... something must've of woken up.  
  
"Where did Youji go anyways?" Aya only shrugged, Omi gave an answer, but not a very useful one.  
  
"He said he wanted to look around more. I don't why though; this place gives the creeps!!" A small shiver ran down Ken's spine, he stared into the fire that was lit.  
  
"I know the feeling..."  
  
~~*~~  
  
"That wasn't a pleasant sight!" Closing the door tightly behind him, Youji made a mental note not to go in there again. // Hmm. Where should I explore now? // After much thought, he decided to go back downstairs to join the others. With the choice made, he headed for the stairs.  
  
"KAYAAAAA!!" A blood curl scream sounded from one of the rooms; on impulse Youji ran directly to the source of the scream. He went straight back to the room where he found a most unpleasant thing; ignoring that fact, he cautiously opened the door, but found the room empty. // Nan da?! I could've swore that scream came from here!! // Taking a chance, he stepped in completely. The door slammed the minute his hand slid off the handle, leaving him trapped inside. The old candles and lamps lit up, slightly blinding, but not to expected pain. Once adjusted to the light, Youji noticed a young girl standing in front of the dresser brushing her hair. Youji blinked a few times to clear things up, but the girl still remained there; taking a quick glance around the room, he found it wasn't as old or dusty when he first found.  
  
The paint on the wall looked fresh and bright, and not a single hole was anywhere. The bed was neatly done, with a light peach color curtains hanging on the sides; there were no cobwebs, or spiders or rats, the only animal he could see was a small cream color cat laying curled up on the floor.  
  
All of this was there for a brief second, but every detail, every object remained vividly in his mind. // That was an odd experience... // Taking one last look around, Youji headed for the door glad to find it unlocked. // This will be an interesting tale to tell. //  
  
~~*~~  
  
"M-matte! You're saying you saw a ghost?" Youji merely shrugged, nodding his head.  
  
"I guess you could say that... I'm not too sure on this myself." Omi curled tighter against himself, Ken shivered on the spot and Aya looked a little more pale then usually.  
  
"It was all there for just a few seconds, then it just... disappeared!" Omi made a small whimpering noise, ducking his head in his arms; seeing this, Aya placed an arm around the boy. Youji took a seat next to Ken, stretching his arms above his head.  
  
"At least it was peaceful for you guys!" Somehow, Ken felt that was a good thing; he was pretty sure Omi had the same thought. At least they weren't in the dark, it was probably more creepy being stuck in a haunted house in the dark, then in light. Things were silent for the next few minutes, when a low eerie wind sounded through the broken windows. Omi huddled closer into Aya grasp, while Ken tried to hang on to Youji.  
  
"OI!! Get off, Ken!!" One hard shove sent Ken over the arm of the couch and on to the floor.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for??" Ken glared at Youji, only to receive the glare back. Frustrated, Ken crawled back on the couch, but sat as far away from Youji as possible; Youji looked to the side, ignoring any comments Ken might throw at him.  
  
"Scardy cat!"  
  
"Kisama! I heard that!!"  
  
"Um, Youji-kun? Why don't you... explore a little more?" Omi made a small suggestion; he knew Ken wouldn't leave and Youji didn't seem to be afraid at all. Youji averted his gaze to Omi, but decided it would be better.  
  
"Fine, be back whenever!" Standing up, he headed for the stairs to search the rest of the floors, maybe even the basement. // Hmm, I would like to explore the basement more... then I can freak Ken out even more!! // He felt someone grab him on the shoulder; turning to face the holder, he wished he had moved faster.  
  
"Nan desu ka?" Ken tighten his grip on the blond's shoulder, not letting him move.  
  
"... I-I'm g-g-going... with you..."  
  
"What?!" Taking a deep breath, Ken repeated himself again.  
  
"I-I'm going with you!!" Even Aya stared at him; Ken was going to go walking around in the dark with Youji when he was scared to even enter this place. Youji couldn't help, but let out a small snicker.  
  
"You? Come with me?" Ken leaned closer, pulling Youji down to his height.  
  
"We need to talk!!" Letting go of him, Ken stood taller, than when he started out. Youji nodded walking towards the stairs again; Ken followed closely behind him. Omi stared after the two as they disappeared into the darkness; turning to Aya, he looked up at the redhead making a small noise to catch his attention.  
  
"Nn?"  
  
"Uh, Aya-kun? What did Ken-kun say, about having to talk?" Aya stared at him for a moment, then shook his head.  
  
"Not sure..." Omi nodded, adjusting his position to cross-legged; he felt a little warmer with Aya's arm still around him.  
  
"Aya-kun? You're not - afraid, are you?" Aya remained silent, as always making Omi very uncomfortable; Omi felt Aya's arm slide off his shoulder, but felt himself being lifted slightly.  
  
"O-o-i! Aya-kun?!" Once adjusted, Aya pulled Omi on to his lap; Omi felt a little too warm now and uncomfortable, but only a little.  
  
"A little..." Aya leaned Omi against him, resting his chin on the boy's shoulder. Omi blinked a few times at the statement, but remembered it was an answer to his question earlier. After a few minutes, Omi felt more relaxed then he did before.  
  
"I hope Youji-kun and Ken-kun don't come back for a while."  
  
"So do I..."  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Youji walked ahead, increasing his speed each step along the way.  
  
"Oi, will you slow down!!" Youji stopped, Ken banged right into him tripping both of them.  
  
"Ken, you clumsy idiot!!" Regaining balance, Youji glared down at him, not offering to help him up. Ken remained on the floor, face down on to the ground. Youji knelt down in front of the brunette, letting a huge sigh out.  
  
"What did you want to talk about?" Ken looked up at him, blinking a few times before nodding.  
  
"A-aa. About what you did earlier before..." Now it was Youji's turn to be confused; he shook his head, having no clue on what Ken wanting to talk about. Ken clenched his teeth, gripping the ragged carpet with his hands.  
  
"About that... k -" A small blush appeared across his face, cutting off his sentence.  
  
"Oh, you mean the kiss I gave you earlier? What about it?" Two and two clicked in his mind; Youji waited for Ken to reply or to continue on with the conversation. Ken dropped his head again; he wasn't quite sure how to explain this or how he felt about it.  
  
"... Well, first you try to get rid of me, then you started acting nice to me, but now you're just being a jerk." Youji stared at him for moment in thought; he did admit, he wasn't really being supportive with Ken's little superstitions of this mission. // So I feel a little guilty... what can I do about it? // Ken remained face down to the floor, embarrassed of this whole thing. He felt a hand rest on his knee; looking up he found Youji smiling at him with the same smile when he woke up.  
  
"Gomen... I was in a bad mood from the start." Ken felt his blush darken, a small smile curving on his mouth. Youji crawled in between Ken's legs, his free hand cupping a flushed cheek; Ken skidded backwards, but Youji held him in place.  
  
"You-ji...?" Soon Ken found himself lying completely on the floor, with Youji leaning over him. Ken felt his whole face heat up; the blond let out a small snicker at Ken's embarrassment. Youji lowered himself down on the soccer player; Ken turned his face away from Youji.  
  
"Um... Youji?" Youji's tongue darted at Ken's ear, then traced down his chin line to his neck. Ken gripped the blond's shoulders, pushing him away to stop him. Unwilling, but Youji stopped anyway; looking down at him with questioning eyes.  
  
"Can we not..." Before he could finish his sentence, Youji capture his mouth with his own. Ken used his grip on Youji to push him off before he decided to go a step further with this kiss. Youji stopped, hands tangled in brown hair.  
  
"Can we go back now? I'm starting to get cold!" Youji snickered a little, getting off him. Extending a hand, Youji helped Ken to his feet; Ken nodded in thanks.  
  
"Okay, we'll go back downstairs..." Ken let out a sigh, heading back for the stairs - Youji leading the way of course. The trip through the halls and down the stairs were quiet; occasionally Ken would jump at the slightest noise, but at least this time Youji didn't patronizing him. It took longer to get back down to the living room, then it did to leave it; there was quite a surprise waiting for the two of them. Ken leaned closer to Youji.  
  
"Should we wake them up?" Youji smiled, shaking his head then grabbed Ken around the waist. A small tint of red spread across Ken's nose.  
  
"Nah, I can get them in the morning..." The two of them sat down on the couch across from the two sleeping members. They found both assassins asleep; Omi was lying on top of Aya, who in turn had his arms wrapped around the boy's waist. Youji let out a small sigh of contentment; Ken slid his arms on Youji's, leaning his head against Youji's shoulder. Youji looked down on the figure, finding it already asleep. // He falls asleep pretty fast... // He fought to surpress a yawn, but his eyes fell shut. Eventually sleep took it toll.  
  
"Peaceful slumber... Enjoy it while you can!!"  
  
End~  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, just to make a note... none of the weiss said that last line.  
  
Tell me... am I going to fast with the relations here? Give me an honest answer, I'm not those sensitive who are easily offended if someone flames me.  
  
Well, stay tuned for the next chapter... "Old Ties" IF... you survive!! 


	3. Chapter 2: Old Ties

NOOOOOOO~~ INSPIRATION IS DYING!!  
  
Hi, I'm running out of ideas to continue my fics... its soo depressing. Anyways, managed to finish this, but it's shorter then the first two parts!! Blah, whatever.  
  
Warnings: Shonen-ai hints, possession.  
  
Pairings: Youji + Ken, Aya + Omi  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He was always a light sleeper, which is why he was usually the first one up in the morning. Omi removed himself from Aya's hold, standing up to stretch. He noticed in the dim light, Youji and Ken sleeping; a small snicker escaped. Despite the way Youji was treated Ken earlier, here Ken was leaning on the older man's shoulder sound asleep. // It's cute. in a way. //  
  
A creek caught his attention, his fear raising slowly again. He turned to the general direction of the noise, staring into blackness.  
  
"Hee. must be hearing things, I mean it's just. us, right?" Omi let out a nervous laugh, he wished the others were wake or at least Aya was. His fear shot straight through, when he heard the sound of a piano playing; it was a low tune played in high minor.  
  
"Aya-kun? Ken-kun?" He whispered, looking at both his comrades, but neither heard him. Omi wrapped his arms around him, shivering on the spot; the more he listened the more intense the tune became. Slowly, Omi started to follow the tune to it's source; away from the room through the halls, the music got louder and louder. Soon he stood in a great ballroom; he let his arms drop to the side, looking around the room and finally to the center.  
  
There he saw a black, grand piano, but no one playing it. He felt chills run down his spine again, turning to run back... but - he stayed, listening to the music.  
  
"Do not be afraid. try, you may never know what you like." The voice blew across his ear, Omi rubbed his ear against his shoulder; staring at the piano in the center, he carefully made his way to it.  
  
"Just a little closer, yes, don't be afraid." Inch by inch, he made his way to the piano which had stopped play a little while ago. Omi stopped, a strange feeling that he was being watched frighten him; he knew no one else was here, yet - he could feel tensed eyes spying him, watching, waiting for the next move.  
  
"AYA-KUN!!!" He turned back immediately, wanting to feel the sanctity of the other assassin's arms. Before he could even move from the piano, something grabbed him holding him in place.  
  
"Don't be afraid, no harm shall come to you." Omi felt a sharp pain in his chest, eyes widen and jaw dropping; he risked it, looking down. He let out a silent scream; a pale hand was scratching roughly at his heart.  
  
"However your friends shall suffer!!" He felt his knees weaken, falling to the floor; his mind became cloudy and unclear, his eyes blurred growing dark - his vision bleaked, losing color. He tried closing his eyes to stop the effect, but it only seem to be worse.  
  
"You can't resist, don't fight it. It shall all be over soon!"  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Youji woke up abruptly, sitting up straight. // .Omi? // Ken, who was still leaning on him, fell behind him, causing him to awaken.  
  
"Itai! Youji, what.?"  
  
"Hush, Ken!" Youji stood up, shaking Aya awake. The redhead batted his hand away, eyes opening to a glare.  
  
"Nani ka?" Youji crossed his arms, but released because of panic.  
  
"Aya, I think Omi's in trouble." Immediately Aya jumped to his feet, looking in different directions. Youji went over to get Ken up to his feet to help look for the boy. Aya was about to take off, when Youji grabbed his shoulder; he turned back to glare briefly at him.  
  
"It's better if we stay together!!" Aya clutched his fist, but nodded his head. Nodding in response, Youji dragged Ken and began searching the ground floor, with Aya following closely behind.  
  
As they passed through rooms and halls, the lamps, candles and torches lit up along the way, giving them light to see. Ken clutched tighter on to Youji's sleeve, as the past through the dimly lit hall; soon the lights faded out all together. Youji paused, signaling the others to quiet down a little.  
  
Aya and Ken stopped, trying to pick up whatever sound the eldest was hearing. A slight shiver ran through Ken's spine when the sounds of a piano reached his ears; playing in high-pitch, it was eerie sounding.  
  
"That way, to the right!!" Youji pointed off the direction after listening for the source, before running off to that direction. Studdering a bit, Aya and Ken followed behind, rushing to keep up.  
  
Finally the three reached the ballroom doors, the music was louder then before, proof that it was coming from there. Aya pulled his Katana out immediately, posed and ready to attack; Ken readied his claws out of nervousness and fear. Youji made his way to the doors carefully, before kicking them open. The music from the piano blasted out at them.  
  
Aya rushed in ahead of Youji, not thinking of the possibilities or the consequences of his actions. Youji followed after, dragging a frightful Ken behind him.  
  
"Aya, there! In the center!" The blond pointed out the piano in the center of the room, playing, more likely, being played. It was too dim to see if the player was an apparition or a real person. Ken timidly peeked out from behind Youji, staring at the pianist; his eyes widen with recognition. He pointed from behind Youji to the small pianist.  
  
"Th-th-th-at-a-t-"  
  
"Spit it out already!!" Aya snapped at him, it was particularly annoying that he only managed to say one word. Ken tried again, still pointing over Youji's shoulder.  
  
"Th-at's - O- O- O-" Youji looked at Ken, he had a pretty good feeling what the brunette was trying to say.  
  
"It's Omi, isn't it? That pianist is Omi!" Ken nodded, letting his arm drop to his side. Aya stared, eyes slightly wider then normal, his jaw slightly dropping. The redhead stared back at the pianist, the flames illuminating the room grew brighter, allowing more detail to been seen. Indeed, it was the youngest, and genki, blond playing the tune.  
  
"No, Ken. It's not Omi..."  
  
"Then who?"  
  
"... I don't know..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Blah... I don't like this part so much, but at least I got it done. Don't worry, Omi will be depossessed in the next chapter. (If I can get that done, uh, uh...)  
  
So, stay tune for... for... I'll think of a title later.  
  
Hikari ^_^ 


	4. Chapter 3: Tale of Morse

Hello minna-san... I'M BACK!!! Yes, I finally got over my writer's block with this fic and I'm writing it again. ( I just hope the people who read and reviewed me for this are still around - I own this all to them for their wonderful support)  
  
Anyways, Omi is de-possessed and weirder things are being to happen to Youji. OO  
  
Well, enough talk, get you guys into action!!  
  
Warnings: Shounen-ai hints  
  
Pairings: Youji + Ken, Aya + Omi  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Last time on "Haunting":  
  
Indeed, it was the youngest, and genki, blond playing the tune.  
  
"No, Ken. It's not Omi..."  
  
"Then who?"  
  
"... I don't know..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The three watched, oblivious to the youngest member as he played on. Ken tightened his grip on Youji's jacket, hiding behind the man. Aya was still staring, a slight nerving feeling rising in his chest.  
  
"Matte? Is Omi - possessed?"  
  
"It would seem so..." Ken buried his head against the older man's shoulder, small whimpering noising escaping him. Youji, along with Aya, just kept staring at the youngest member in the center of the room.  
  
All too soon, the boy stopped, turning around in his seat. Youji could hear Aya holding his breath in, Ken took his chance to look up. Omi's eyes were shut tight, his face expressionless, making it difficult to see what he was feeling.  
  
"...Omi?" The redhead moved forward, cautiously taking his steps. He reached to about four feet in front of Omi, before stopping - he called out again.  
  
"Omi?" The boy looked up at him, opening his eyes, but they weren't Omi's eyes. The soft, childish, innocent kind of look wasn't there; the color was no longer a deep blue. No, these eyes were hard and harsh, filled with a hateful passion; the color was an abnormal color - a deep, dark crimson red.  
  
Aya stepped back, suddenly feeling not quite like himself. Omi's expressionless face showed a death smile.  
  
"AYA WATCH OUT!!" Before the redhead could think, he felt himself being pushed to one side. He looked to see Youji standing where he had stood. He also saw that Omi was no longer at the piano, but passed Youji.  
  
Aya looked at the expression on the older blond's face, he looked in pain. He observed Youji more, soon seeing a red liquid dripping to the floor; he followed the drips, finding Youji had a very deep flesh wound across his chest to his shoulder.  
  
Aya then observed Omi, or whoever was in Omi, searching for the possible weapon used to do such damage. He noticed a gleam of a metal in the boy's right hand - he was holding a knife.  
  
He looked back to Youji, finding the man sitting on his heels, holding his uninjured arm against his wound. The redhead noticed short and shallow breaths - Youji, apparently, was having trouble breathing right.  
  
// Youji... you just risked yourself for me! Why? //  
  
The eldest member slowly got up back to his feet, wincing slightly from the pain. Omi watched with mild amusement; he straightened his arm out to the side, twisting his hand so that the knife laid flat like a thin line. He moved at inhuman speed, running straight for the injured blond.  
  
Youji made no attempts to move, standing in the path of the boy's weapon.  
  
// Just a little more... closer!! //  
  
Just as the boy swung at him, he moved, tightly gripping the hand holding the weapon. The eldest noticed a slight pain expression, hearing a low hiss. He gripped harder, cutting the circulation off to the boy's hand; Omi let out a small staggered cry, releasing the knife in his hand.  
  
Youji looked behind the youngest, seeing a young girl with short, straight hair - she was glaring at him in annoyance, a frown on her face.  
  
"You have no right to use my friend like this!! Leave him BE!!" He gritted through his teeth, his words barely audibly, but she heard. Youji didn't hear it, but he could see she growled, disappearing into shadows.  
  
Youji continued to stare at the spot where she stood, not realizing he still had a deathly tight grip on Omi's wrist. He felt the boy hitting him on his uninjured arm.  
  
"YOUJI-KUN!! It hurts, let GO!!" Youji released the boy immediately, giving him a small line of apologies. Omi then stared wide-eyed, a hand over his mouth.  
  
"Youji-kun, what happened? You're hurt!!"  
  
"It's a long story, but we need to get out of here and now!!" Omi opened his mouth to ask a question, but he felt Aya pull him towards the door. Taking the hint, Omi headed out, with Youji following behind holding his wound; Aya took a brief moment to pick Ken off the floor and drag him the rest of the way out.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
His wound wasn't a bad as they had feared, having two layers of clothing on, but if it wasn't cleaned and wrapped, the chances of it getting infected were high and Youji living through the night were slim.  
  
"I'm sorry Youji-kun... I didn't mean to hurt you." The eldest member reached out his hand to pat the boy on the head, giving him a very causal smile.  
  
"It's alright Omi; it wasn't your fault anyway." Omi smiled a little, turning back to Aya and Ken, who was now awake again, to ask for any suggests. The redhead shook his head, Ken shrugged letting his head down.  
  
Omi let out a sigh; there were very little resources available to them in an abandon house - that was haunted, mind you.  
  
"We have to do something!!" Omi crossed his arms in frustration, looking into the now lit fireplace.  
  
Moments of silence passed, before it was disturbed.  
  
"Um guys? What kind of medic kit do you know floats?" Omi looked at Ken, giving him a very curious look; Aya looked out of the corner of his eyes.  
  
"A kit that floats? You mean, as in floats in water?"  
  
"Um, no. Floats... in the air!" Both Aya and Omi raised an eyebrow, looking in the direction the brunet was looking. Very surprisingly, Ken was right - hovering behind the injured, eldest blond was a somewhat old looking first aid kit.  
  
Both Omi and Ken's first impulse was to run as far away from this as they could; Aya simply stared, trying to believe this was actually happening.  
  
Youji looked behind him to see what was making the others stare intensely like; he saw a young woman, not much older then 25 holding the a small box. She had long, curly hair down passed her shoulders; she had very timid smile on her face, as if she was afraid.  
  
Youji blinked, slowly reaching his uninjured arm to take the box. Although it was most likely the girl was an apparition, the box was very much real. The eldest saw her blush, then run off in the darkness.  
  
He opened the box, finding everything needed to treat his wound.  
  
"Omi, a little help please?" The boy blinked, nodding his head getting up from his spot to help Youji with his wound.  
  
"You just - how? You just grabbed that thing at out of air!?" Youji blinked at Ken, looking back where he saw the woman then back to Ken.  
  
"Wait - you guys didn't see her?" Youji hissed from the pain when the cleaning alcohol contacted his open flesh; Ken and Aya shook their heads, shrugging their shoulders. Omi looked up at the oldest member.  
  
"Youji-kun, we didn't see anything. Just this kit floating behind you."  
  
"You sure? She had long curly hair, looked around 25 maybe and she seemed shy."  
  
"We're sure, Youji-kun." The youngest member answered, carefully wrapping the eldest member's wound. Once done, Omi placed the kit on a small side table near them then went over to seat himself down in between Ken and Aya.  
  
"Hey Omi? What's it like - being possessed and all?"  
  
"Um, well... it hurt!! My vision kept blacking out and I felt really weak." Ken shivered a little, hands gripping the arm of the couch tightly.  
  
"I don't remember anything that happened during the time I was possessed! It's really weird!!"  
  
"But not uncommon..." Omi and Ken look over to the older blond, puzzled looks on their faces.  
  
Youji slowly pulled his shirt back over his head, wincing slightly from the pain; then leaned back against the couch with his eyes closed.  
  
"What do you mean, Youji? Oi!!" Ken stood up, moving over to check on man. He waved a hand in front of Youji's face, softly saying his name. He let out a sigh, seating himself next to the blond. Omi blinked, tilting his head to one side.  
  
"He fell asleep!!"  
  
"You can't blame him, Ken-kun. I mean, he did get it pretty hard!"  
  
"I guess. Even Aya is falling asleep!"  
  
"I'm not falling asleep..." The redhead mumbled, head resting on his arm against the back of the couch, eyes closed. Omi covered his mouth to prevent from bursting out, Ken smiled, leaning back.  
  
"Maybe we should get some sleep too, Ken-kun..." Omi worked to suppress his yawn.  
  
"Yeah, I guess. Night, Omi." Ken looked to see the young blond fast asleep, half leaning on Aya, and half leaning on the couch. He smiled, looking over to Youji; sighing, he rested his head on the blond's shoulder slowly letting sleep take over.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Youji slowly pulled himself awake, using the back of his hand to rub his eyes. He looked down to his side to find Ken's head resting on his shoulder; carefully, he lifted the brunet off his shoulder and placed him down on the rest of the couch.  
  
He stood up to stretch, but was reminded of his injury as he did. The blond felt a slight chill against his bare arms; shivering a little, he recovered his trench coat pulling it back on.  
  
He looked about the room, which was dark expect for the fire still burning in the mantle. He looked over to where Omi laid asleep against Aya, he smiled at the two. As much as the two contrasted each other, they looked quite cute together.  
  
Youji stared at the objects on the mantle piece, each dusty and cracked from age. He noticed a small candleholder still had a candle in it; quietly making his way over to the mantle piece, he took down the blacken candleholder, turning it over again and again.  
  
// Why does this look familiar? I know I've seen this before! //  
  
Shrugging, he placed it back on the mantle, looking back to see his teammates still asleep. The blond guessed he only slept an hour or less, but he didn't feel very tired.  
  
Wide awake and bored, Youji decided to explore a little more, see if anything was worth this trip. He quietly made his way out of the small living room area into the large hallway, which connected to that room with piano and that girl who possessed Omi. He felt along the wall, his hand coming across a door; feeling for a door handle, he cautiously opened the door, for should something jump out at him.  
  
He was glad that nothing moved.  
  
The blond stepped in, keeping his hold on the handle in case it should shut the minute he let go. He glanced around the room, adjusting his eyes to the dark surroundings. He squinted a little, taking in the objects in the shadow forms; he barely noticed a set of spiral stairs leading up to a second floor or walk way.  
  
Lost in his studied of the room, Youji let his hand slip from the doorknob; the door fell shut behind him and old candles and lamps lid up, blinding his eyes a little. He blinked several times, trying to adjust to the light; he hoped it was only an illusion like the first time, but the room seemed much brighter.  
  
Once adjusted, he looked around the room still dusty and teaming with cobwebs. Youji looked along the shelves of books and a row of desks situated on one side of the room. He saw the ladders on wheels up against the bookshelf and the spiral stairway that did lead up to another floor, but a very small area.  
  
Again, lost in his observation of the room, he bumped into a desk corner letting out a small yelp. He turned around to find himself face to face with a small boy, who just appeared from no where.  
  
Youji's first thoughts were on possession of his body, but he noticed the boy had a shy, kind of sad look on his face. The blond relaxed a little, but still kept his guard up; he made his way over to where the boy was sitting at one of the desks.  
  
"Oi, how long have you been siting there?" The boy opened his mouth in surprise, before running off to hide behind the stairs. Youji walked after him, peeking around the rails.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare if I did." The boy looked up at him from his hiding place, knees to his chest. Youji smiled, feeling a little more relaxed that the boy wasn't out to get him.  
  
"Come on, why don't you come out? I won't hurt you."  
  
// Not that I can, anyways... //  
  
The boy looked up at him with timid smile, crawling out from his little hole. Youji seated himself on the floor, twitching slightly from his injured chest; the boy crawled up next to him, sitting cross-legged.  
  
"Did I scare you?" The boy nodded, keeping his head facing the floor.  
  
"Sorry, I guess I thought you were going to hurt me. Can you tell me your name?" The boy shook his head, looking back up at him with timid eyes. Youji looked at him with a questioning look.  
  
"How come?" The boy remained silent, averting his gaze to the side away from Youji. Then it hit him.  
  
"You can't talk, can you? You were born mute, right?" The boy nodded, looking back to the man. Youji reached his hand out to gently touch the boy's head - much to his surprise, he felt it. The boy was more then likely a ghost, but he could feel his hair, the texture, the knots... the softness.  
  
The boy looked up at him with wide eyes and a sudden smile on his face. Standing up, he took the blond's hand gently pulling him to stand up. Confused, Youji pushed himself off the floor letting the boy lend him upstairs.  
  
As they got closer to the top, Youji could hear a voice - an old man or someone was talking and sounded maybe a little frustrated.  
  
The boy stopped, using his hands to tell Youji to wait. The blond nodding in understanding, and the boy took off to an old chemistry set at the end of the room. Youji looked around the beakers and tubes, seeing the boy tug on the sleeve of an old man. The old man looked to the boy with a questioning face, watching his hands move in silent language.  
  
The man blinked, turning around to face Youji, then smiled. Youji felt a little uneasy at the smile and stepped back.  
  
"Don't step back too far, lad. You'll fall and break your neck." The blond stopped in his tracks, eyes going wide.  
  
"You - you can talk?"  
  
"Of course!! Del here, as you had said, was born mute. He says that he can feel your touch - is this true?"  
  
"Well, yes. I can feel him too." The man moved from behind the chemistry set, going over to examine Youji. Hand on his chin, he walked around the blond looking up and down for something. Youji turned his head, following the man's path.  
  
"Interesting... tell me, are you alone?"  
  
"No, I'm here with three others."  
  
"Hmm. Can they see us, or any of the spirits, actually?"  
  
"Er - no, I don't think so." The old man hmmed again, holding his hands behind his back, he walked back towards the set his back to Youji.  
  
"Who else have you seen, besides us?"  
  
"Uh, there was a girl in the ballroom, with short, straight hair and the woman with long, curly hair who gave the medic kit for my injury."  
  
"Ah yes. Terpsichore - she has a few mental issues and Sarah - she was the nurse in this mansion." Youji walked up closer to the old man, but kept his distance in case something should happen. He was too far away from his teammates to yell for help, plus he was injured.  
  
"Anyway, I am professor Egad. I was a scientist for the Master Morse, back in 1879."  
  
"18 - 1879?!" Youji stared wide-eyed at the professor; this place had be abandoned for nearly 120 years, but the people who had lived it still remained as ghosts.  
  
"Why don't you take a seat lad. It's a long tale to tell." Egad moved over to a desk pulling another chair out from the other side. Recovering from shock, Youji walked over and sat down, tensing from the slight pain. The professor reached in the drawer, pulling out an old, chipped pipe pouring a small amount of tobacco in the tiny opening.  
  
"You see, it all started years before all the residents mysteriously died of illness..."  
  
End~  
  
Don't worry I'll continue on with the story. BUT I'M BACK AND IN ACTION ONCE MORE!! YAH-WHO!! *goes back to being calm and mature*  
  
Anyways, just a little note - when you read the next chapter, it begins with what happen to the mansion 125 years ago; five years before it was abandoned. So, don't get confused if the time is not right.  
  
Well, hope you enjoy this part - and don't worry, it will be explained in the next chapt. Why Youji is the only one who can see the ghosts.  
  
Until next time - Ja!!  
  
Hikari!! ^_^ 


	5. Chapter 4: The One Who Sees

Mew... Gomen ne. This isn't so great. (I can tell, cause there were no reviews for the last chap. BUT I will still continue on!!)  
  
Anyways, it might be a bit confusing, 'cause it starts off with the ghost's story about the house. (You need to know a little history, if you want to find out why Youji is the only one seeing the ghosts!!) Enjoy now... I'll go write and then cry.  
  
Warnings: Shounen-ai hints  
  
Pairings: Youji x Ken, Aya x Omi  
  
~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~  
  
"WHAT?! Such nonsense, Professor!!"  
  
"Its true, Master Morse. You are the direct descend of magic, sir." The graying man, carefully stood up eyeing the outraged, sleek, black-haired Morse. Morse turned to the window, hands behind his back.  
  
"Professor, you do know how my family is about magic and wizards and things... we will not tolerate this fact!!"  
  
"I see, sir. Sorry to have disturbed you from you studies, Master Morse." The professor took a slight bow before exiting the room. Morse watched the professor leave, with a hard glare, hmpfing as he looked back to the window.  
  
~~*~~  
  
The professor, sighed as he closed the study doors shaking his head. Biding good night to the maid standing by, he walked down the hall to his tiny lab up in the library. Along the way he bumped into the small servant boy, who usually stayed in the kitchen.  
  
"Del, my lad. You should be asleep in the den. Why are you awake?"  
  
"Sorry Professor, I am responsible for his being." The professor looked down to see a young girl with long, golden hair dressed in her peach colored night gown. She smiled gently, taking Del by the hand.  
  
"Such a kind heart, unlike your father." The girl looked back at the professor, a disappointed look on her face.  
  
"My father may be cruel and selfish, but he cares in more ways that no one will understand!!" The professor chuckled, ending it with a long sigh. He walked over to take Del by the hand, giving the girl his best warm smile.  
  
"Your words are true, for I am too blind to see the warmth in Morse's heart, Lactrice." Lactrice looked at the professor with a confused expression, letting Del's hand go. Professor nodding in thanks, leading the silent boy to his lab. He heard a voice call out to him.  
  
"Professor? What did you talk to my father about?" The professor stopped, glancing back at the Lactrice. Letting out a humble sigh, he signaled her to follow him to his lab.  
  
"The walls have ears, Mistress. We'll will be safe in my lab." Lactrice nodded, following the professor and the boy to the library and up the spiral stairs to the small lab at the top.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
"So, let me see if I'm following this right - this man, Morse, he completely hates magic or anything to do with the word?" Youji questioned, pausing Professor Egad's story. Egad puffed smoke through the side of his mouth, staring into the sky though the shattered glass window above.  
  
"That is correct, lad. Morse's daughter, however, had a different view of magic. She loved it, wanted it to be real." Egad continued on with his tale.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
"Oh Professor, is it true? Is it all so true?"  
  
"Yes Lactrice, it is all so very true. I've studied your family history, checked the records - it's all clear." Lactrice's eyes shone with excitement of the news. Her father, Morse, was a descended of magic bloodline; she danced around the room in joy.  
  
"O wonder, does this mean that - I can do magic, Professor?"  
  
"Good heavens, no my dear. I doubt it could be so, but just in case - keep this well away from your father." The cheerful tone in his voice dropped to a very serious look at the last few words. Lactrice stopped dancing, her golden locks slowing to a stop; her radiant smile vanished, leaving her face with a small frown.  
  
"I shall keep this a secret. For I know what my father will do if he found out."  
  
"Do not be disappointed, Mistress Lactrice. In good time, things will change, you'll see." The professor smiled again, and Del smiled with him gently tugging on the girl's hand. Lactrice looked down to him and smiled beautifully.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Egad paused, looking over to Youji. The blond blinked, staring up at the professor; a few moments of silence passed between them.  
  
"No questions?" Youji shook his head, waiting for the story to continue.  
  
"Very well, we'll move on. You see, sometime after , a visitor came by the mansion."  
  
~~*~~  
  
It was a stormy night, wind howled through the cracks of the shutters, rain poured heavily down in the drain pipe. The sky was dark and bleak, though it was only two in the afternoon, many had gone home and slept.  
  
The young Master Morse, sat in the living room area that connected to the front door hall. His daughter, the young Lactrice, sat across from him leaning on the arm rest as she gazed into the fire.  
  
Suddenly, there was weak, soft knock on the door.  
  
Lactrice moved to open the door, but her father bided her to stay. Instead, he got up to answer the knock.  
  
Morse opened the door just a jar, glaring at the knocker in front of his door.  
  
"Who knocks at my door at this hour??"  
  
"Please kind sir. I am far from my home, and the storm is only getting worse. May I stay under your roof, 'til the storm blows over?" It was a woman around her late 30's, dressed in a cotton cloak that was soaked through and through. Her long, brown hair dripped from her face, to her arms, and down at her feet creating a small puddle around her. She pleaded the man for a place to stay. Morse, not at all please only glared, opening the door to allow her full view of him.  
  
"You knock on my door during a raging storm, not to mention you are soaked to the bone and dripping water everywhere - you expect ME to take you in?!" His voiced raised near the end, terrifying the woman; he pointed out the dirt road behind her.  
  
"Leave at once!!" She fell to her knees, pleading the man once more.  
  
"Oh please, sir! I will give you something in return, please don't turn me away!!"  
  
"What is it you have that will please me?" The woman reached into her cloak pulling out a small bottle; she handed it to him still remaining on her knees. Morse took the bottle and examined it - inside he could see a tiny light, dancing about in the small bottle.  
  
"Please sir, it's a rare and valuable item. All I have left - please don't turn me away!!!" Morse calmly handed the bottle back to her, turning back inside to shut the door. The woman crawled at fast paced, using her body to block the door.  
  
"AWAY WITH WRENCH!! This - 'thing' is not worth my time!!!" The woman persisted, pushing the door open while Morse tried to push it close.  
  
"NNNOOOO!!! Please sir, have pity for me!!!"  
  
"I said, AWAY WITH YOU!!" He pulled the door open, causing the woman to fall to the ground; then used the door to push her out of the way. Before the door had shut, a bright light shone, blinding Morse; he lifted his hands in front of his face to block the light.  
  
When the light died and he could see, he saw the woman had changed forms. She no longer looked weary or old, but full and young; her hair was no longer wet or brown, but flowly and golden.  
  
For only a brief moment did Morse had to think about who she was, before falling to his knees and begging.  
  
"I have been a fool not to see who you really were. Please, forgive my blindness."  
  
"You have been more than a fool, Morse! You shall pay for your rude and selfish ways." The woman took the small bottle out of her blossom, holding it in front of the man's face.  
  
"This bottle, contains a curse - one that will last you for all eternity!!" She uncapped the bottle, letting the light free from its containment. Morse's eyes widened in fear, his mouth dropping opening as he begged the Goddess.  
  
"Please, forgive!!" It was too late, the tiny light spread into a larger glow, releasing itself into the house and the infecting the people within it. Morse watched as the light's glow disappeared from the floor; he looked back to see the Goddess still there.  
  
"While you shall remain immune, your family, your servants, and your associates shall die!!" Morse felt sudden tears in his sharp, gray eyes as the Goddess disappeared from his sight. His daughter, Lactrice, came from around the corner.  
  
"Father, father!! Are you alright? Father, speak to me??" Morse looked at his daughter, tears still streaming down his face. He gazed into her light blue eyes full of concern and worry; how he would miss those eyes.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
"Lactrice was the first to die from the illness. I tried hard to find a cure, but never could!" Youji felt his eyes begin to water at the tale; he could tell Morse had loved his daughter very much, and that it must have been such a pain to watch her die.  
  
"Eventually the disease made its way to me, and thus - Master Morse was left alone for five years!"  
  
"How terrible!!" Egad removed the pipe from his mouth, puffing out the last bit of smoke. The tobacco done, he turned it over, tapping it to drop the remaining, useless bits into a tiny trashcan. He then placed it back into the drawer, going over to wake Del up from his sleep.  
  
Youji stood up and attempted to stretch again, despite his injured chest. He made a small noise of pain, catching both Egad's and Del's attention.  
  
"Are you alright, lad?"  
  
"Yeah, it just that - who was it? Terpsichore, she possessed one of my friends and made him attack me." Del hid behind the professor, shuddering at Terpsichore being mentioned. Egad sighed, shaking his head.  
  
"Yes, she is like that. She had mental problems, but don't worry. She can't go anywhere expect the ballroom." Youji let out a small sigh of relief.  
  
"That's good, I don't want to mess with her anymore. Then, wait?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Are all the ghosts in this place - restricted to one area??" Egad let out a cheerful laugh, giving Youji a joking slap on the arm. Youji felt the slap, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"You're a smart you are, lad! I like that! Yes, Del here is in my study, even though the kitchen is his rightful place." Del peeked around the professor briefly, giving Youji a small smile. Youji smile back, extending his hand out to him. Slowly, the boy took the blond's hand, enjoying the feeling of being able to touch and feel again.  
  
Del stepped out from behind Egad, going over to hug Youji around the waist to see if this was real. Indeed, it was real - for both of them. Youji felt the small arms barely reaching around him, pressing against his body; Del sighed at the feeling of solid flesh.  
  
"Indeed, he can touch! Then... you are the one..."  
  
"The one who?" Youji looked up at him, one hand running through Del's hair. Egad smiled, letting out a huge long sigh.  
  
"You see, Morse started to accept his heritage more and began learning curses of his own." Youji removed himself from Del's grip, returning his full attention to Egad. If this had something to do with him, he would need all the concentration he had.  
  
"He actually did one, one that wasn't at all pleasant. You see, anyone who enters this house, shall suffer and die and never escape! It was impossible for us to stop people from entering, cause after he died - it made the curse so no one, absolutely no one, could see or feel us." Egad paused, taking a few moments to allow Youji's mind to cool down from the information overload. Youji shook his head clear, trying to keep track of whose curse was whose.  
  
"Continue."  
  
"The Goddess, however, took pity on us and Morse, and soften the curse so one day, we could all be freed and rest peacefully." Egad paused again, taking a deep breath.  
  
"Go on..."  
  
"She said that, only one will break this curse, only one will see us, feel us and hear us! Only one can break the binds that hold Morse and his daughter apart." Youji felt the boy, Del tugging on his sleeve; he looked down to see the boy's face full of wonder and maybe a little hope. Youji placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze.  
  
"And I - am that one, aren't I?"  
  
"Indeed... will you help us?"  
  
"What choice do I have? I need to get my friends out of here!! They're all scared, even if most of them won't admit it." Youji thought back to Aya, how the redhead seemed a little jumpy when the found Omi missing and possessed. He knew something was going on between the two, considering he and Ken walked in finding Omi asleep on top of Aya.  
  
Though he worried about Ken, the most. He hadn't realized his actually affections for the brunet until now, after they were trapped inside. He didn't want to lose Ken, not after recently awaken these old feelings.  
  
"Yes, you do need to get your friends out!! They don't have much time, lad!!" Youji looked at his watch for the first time since they entered; it still read 9:56. The blond tapped at his watch, holding it up to his ear to hear if it was still running.  
  
"Sorry, but there was another about the curse - she said that time will stop, when the right one has come!"  
  
"Hn, now you tell me!!"  
  
"Yes, well, we should hurry if you want your friends alive!!" Youji nodded, releasing his hold on Del. Del walked to the spiral stairs, before stopping; he waved goodbye as Youji and Egad made their way down.  
  
Youji took one last look, before Del disappear back to the lab. Egad tapped him lightly on the shoulder, signaling him to hurry and follow. Youji followed, looking one last time, before moving faster. He followed the professor to the door, but paused as a sudden question popped into his head.  
  
"Matte! If the ghosts are restricted to certain rooms, then how are you going to help me??" Egad laughed, gently patting the blond on the shoulder.  
  
"The whole mansion is my room!! I was always such a mover, on the go no matter what the age. Frankly, I'm only 46 years old, but don't tell anyone." Egad winked, opening the door into the hallway. Youji only raised an eyebrow, giving a queer look.  
  
// Um... right!! He was still relatively young!! //  
  
He followed the professor out into the hall, waiting for further instructions.  
  
"Now... oh, you know what? I never got your name!"  
  
"Youji! Kudou, Youji!"  
  
"Ah yes, very good. Now, Youji? Are you ready to go through with this?" Egad's tone dropped to a more serious voice, his face showing a silent concern. Youji answered him with a firm, determined face.  
  
"I am!!"  
  
End~  
  
Sorry about that - the rest of the weiss will appear in the next chapter, but they need to find Youji and keep themselves alive! (yes, the curse is starting to take effect and try to kill them)  
  
SO, stayed tuned for the next chapter... as soon as I think of a name for it. ^^;;  
  
Hikari!! ^_^ 


	6. Chapter 5: Unexpected Fate

Hello minna!!! Sorry it took a while to update, but I managed to finish Chapt. Five of haunting!! It's almost done, just need to tie off a few loose ends and voila - Weiss are on their way home!  
  
Anyway, enough of my bs. Be forewarned though, very twisted, unexpected plot at the end!! O.o Even I'm surprised by it!!  
  
Warnings: Shounen-ai hints (Yaoi later, maybe)  
  
Pairings: Aya + Omi, Youji + Ken  
  
Disclaimer: Belong to Koyasu Takehito, Kyoko Tsuchiya and Project Weiss.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
** He let out a sigh, closing the heavy oak doors behind him. He shed off his overcoat, placing it on the coat rack near him; he looked down at the floor, trying to make sense of the news he had received a moment ago.  
  
A short, older man placed a hand on his brood shoulder, making him look down at him. The old man had a look of pity in his eyes, silently apologizing him.  
  
"Thank you professor, but - it's too late for those now..." The taller man gently brushed the hand off his shoulder; he started walking towards the little meeting room where there would be a warm fire blazing under the mantle piece.  
  
When he reached there, however he noticed a young girl with golden blond hair, sitting on one of the Victorian couches, looking up at him. She had a beautiful smile on her face, her arms reaching out as if to receive a hug or even be picked up.  
  
"Daddy, you're home!! Daddy?" The man stood there, looking at her with a painful expression. She stood up on the couch, leaning over the back of it, still smiling at him.  
  
// She looks so much like her mother... //  
  
"Daddy? Where is mommy?" He felt his heart shattered into pieces at the word; he just kept looking at his daughter, never answering, never moving from the spot. He couldn't tell her, he couldn't ruin her life now, not when everything seemed to be going right.  
  
"Daddy? Are you alright? Daddy? DADDY!!" **  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
// ... Where... is she? //  
  
Ken blinked himself awake, trying to make sense of the strange dream he just had. Shrugging, he let his eyes close shut, but he opened them again seeing that he in different position then when he had fallen asleep to begin with.  
  
He sat straight up, quickly glancing around the room for any form of life. He started to worry, he knew Omi and Aya were asleep just across from him, but - he didn't see Youji anywhere. At first, he thought maybe the blond was trying to scare, play a trick, but he noticed that Youji trench coat was missing as well; and since there didn't seem anything moving he guessed that Youji wasn't near by.  
  
Ken jumped from the couch, rushing over to where Omi and Aya were sleeping. He shook Omi on the shoulder, figuring he would be hurt less if he woke the blond first. Omi made a noise, batting away Ken's hand before opening his eyes a bit.  
  
"What is it, Ken-kun?"  
  
"Youji's gone!!" Omi stretched his arms above his head, a yawn following after it. He looked at the brunet with a not too pleased look.  
  
"I'm sure Youji-kun is okay. He probably just went to explore again!"  
  
"You think he would at least tell us?! And how can you be so calm??? We're in a haunted house!!" Omi scratched the back of his head, shrugging his shoulders. Ken let out a sigh, setting himself on the floor in front of the boy. Omi gave him a light pat on the shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile.  
  
"Ne Ken-kun, I'm sure Youji-kun is fine. He's not scared of anything!" Ken blinked before frowning at the boy. He stood up, looking down the dark hall with a look of determination. The brunet bit his lower lip, then slowly started walking into the darkness; Omi turned around, leaning on the back of the couch as he watched his co-worker and friend march off.  
  
"Ken-kun?" Omi called out in a small voice, as Ken vanished into the dark, leaving him with just the redhead sleeping next to him. He watched and listened a little longer, waiting for the moment Ken would scream and run back to the living room - nothing came. Omi shrugged his shoulders, turning back around to sit down on the couch; he let out a sigh.  
  
// Ken-kun can be really brave sometimes... sometimes! //  
  
"Where is he off to?" Omi jumped, moving to the far side of the couch when he realized it was only Aya talking to him. Omi relaxed, moving back closer to the redhead.  
  
"Ken-kun went to find Youji-kun. Apparently he's missing!" Aya made a small noise, nodding his head. Omi scooted closer to him, resting his head on Aya's arm; Aya gently pulled his arm out and over the boy, holding him around the shoulder. Omi blushed, leaning closer towards the redhead; this was probably why he felt so calm. He knew Aya was there to comfort him or at least be there to protect him.  
  
"IYYYAAAAAAAAAAA!!" Omi tensed at the familiar scream that came from the hall; Aya released his hold, gently pushing Omi to the other side and made a grab for his katana. The youngest member huddled into a little ball in the far corner of the couch; Aya stood up slowly, sword in hand, he looked out to the darkness ready to strike at whatever was there.  
  
A sudden gush of strong wind blew through the dark, threatening to blow the redhead away if he didn't have a strong hold on the couch. Omi held on to the arm, feeling the wind blow through his hair. Then he saw something flying towards them, Omi pointed out at it.  
  
"Aya-kun! There!!" Aya saw it, but he couldn't move against the force of the wind to strike. The thing hit the back of the couch, falling over and landing in between them then the wind stopped. Aya raised his katana above him ready to strike it down, but stopped at the familiar voice.  
  
"Gah!!! Aya I'm on your side!!! Don't hurt me!!" Aya stopped his sword a few centimeters above Ken's nose; the brunet let out a huge sigh of relief, forcing an uneasy smile. Aya pulled his sword back, placing it in its case again. Omi hovered over Ken, staring at him with a blank look.  
  
"Ken-kun!! I thought you were looking for Youji-kun?"  
  
"I was, but then this thing just popped out of no where and started sucking me into it!!!" Omi and Aya helped the brunet to an upright position, seeing that he was too stiff with fear to do so himself. Omi dusted him off a bit, before poking at him trying to get an initial reaction from the brunet.  
  
"I was - I was just at the mouth of that thing, when it started to blow out air instead of taking it in... and then I find I'm flying through the air - I never want to do that again!!" Ken's voice cracked at the end of sentence; Omi still poked at him not receiving any kind of reaction at all. He stopped poking at him, looking over to Aya.  
  
"I think Ken-kun's lost it!"  
  
"I don't think he ever had it..." Omi gave the redhead a narrow look; as true as that could be sometimes, now was not a good time for humor - especially since one member is missing and one has gone into a state of shock.  
  
"Aya-kun I'm serious!!!! We need to get Ken-kun out of this!" The redhead nodded, helping the boy lift Ken up to his feet. Carefully, the two set him on the floor in front of the fire to keep him warm; Aya held his back up since the brunet seemed too shocked to know what was going on.  
  
"I wish had something to snap him out of this!! Ken-kun could die!!"  
  
"Not everyone dies from fear or shock, Omi..." Omi looked around the mantle piece and the end tables to see if there was anything that could be of use to them - unfortunately, the room was empty with, but a few decorative objects with no use at all.  
  
With a sigh, Omi sat back on the floor next to Ken, who at the moment was laughing for no particular reason. The boy shook his head, the brunet was losing it; whatever it was that scared him, scared him good. Omi brought his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them. He looked over to where Aya was sitting on the other side of Ken, holding him up; the redhead was holding one hand against his forehead.  
  
"Aya-kun? Are you okay?"  
  
"Hai. Headache, I think..."  
  
// A very bad headache!! //  
  
Aya thought, gently rubbing his templates, but it only seems to be getting worse. He felt his head was being pounded against a brick wall; he began to feel slightly dizzy as an effect of the headache. He removed his hand, seeing that it only made it worse, instead he used it to support himself up; he felt very weak suddenly. Aya shook his head clear, but the pain tripled when he stopped; he looked around the room hoping to distract himself from the pain.  
  
His surroundings seemed very blurry, he closed his eyes then opened them again, but it didn't make things any clearer. If possible, even blurrier; he noticed the fire started to look gray and black, instead of the normal yellow-orange kind of color. He rubbed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Aya-kun? Are you sure you're okay? AYA-KUN!!!" Omi managed to catch the brunet as the redhead fell forward, catching himself with his arms. Omi carefully set Ken down on the floor, slowly reaching a hand out for Aya.  
  
"Aya-kun...?" The redhead sat back up, turning to face the boy. Omi fell back, looking straight into Aya's eyes, but they didn't seem like Aya's. The youngest member noticed that Aya's eyes had gone soft, and maybe a little wider; the color of amethyst was not present, but instead a light blue expressing a shy, sort of timid personality.  
  
"Who - who are you? And whe - what happened to Aya-kun?!"  
  
"Please, let me help your friend..." Omi yelped, scooting back away from whoever was in the redhead's body. The gently, blue eyes looked at him, before turning to focus on the brunet currently resting on the floor, who was still laughing. Omi watched, as the ghost in Aya's body tend to the stiff Ken.  
  
"You - yo - You still haven't answered m-my quest-question!"  
  
"Please forgive me, my name is Sarah. I was the nurse who worked in this mansion. The girl who possessed you before is Terpsichore, she's not a very nice person." Omi nodded his head slowly, staring at 'Sarah'. He wondered if this was the same ghost Youji had seen when they had that 'floating kit' appear to them to help the older blond with his injured chest.  
  
"How come that - we can't see you? And why are possessing my friend?!"  
  
"It's the only way I can help. With the One gone, I can't communicate or help your friend here."  
  
"The... One?" Sarah nodded, working on getting the brunet back to his normal self. Omi blinked, moving a little closer to the two; he a slight curiosity about this 'One' and why this ghost was helping them.  
  
"This place is cursed and - only the rightful one can break it and he is here!"  
  
"Um, Sarah? Can you tell - more about it?"  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Youji jumped back just as the knight's axe fell in front of him, missing him only by a few centimeters. Egad turned his head around to see what the hold up was; he watched as the blond carefully made his way around the fallen axe instead of over.  
  
"Hmm, the curse is starting to take its effect. At this rate, your friends might end up dead."  
  
"Please Professor, I already have enough to worry about..." Youji buried his face into his hand, using the other arm to support it. He let out a sigh, gently massaging the bridge of his nose. Egad looked at him with a peculiar gaze, tilting his head to the side; Youji noticed the old man staring at him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing, it's just that - Master Morse would do exactly what you are doing whenever he felt frustrated." The blond blinked, before shaking his head clear and dropping his hands to his side. He gave a weary smile at the professor shrugging his shoulders.  
  
"Coincidence, maybe?" Egad didn't answer, instead he signaled the blond to keep going and follow. Youji's smile disappeared; he ran a bit to catch up with the professor, slowing down once he got by his side.  
  
"Tell me Youji, have you had anything strange happen to you since you've entered this house?" The blond looked at Egad with a slightly surprised look, before looking ahead again.  
  
"Well, not really. Nothing happened until we started to leave - when the doors flew shut on us." The professor placed a hand on his chin, going into deep thought. He let out a hmm sound, as he walked down the hallway of the second floor. Youji placed his arms behind his head, following the professor, but still keeping his guard up.  
  
The curse, as Egad said, was starting to take effect - there was a small incident with one of the steps a while ago. It was the thirteenth step or something that reached out and grabbed his ankle, threatening to pull him down. Egad explained that was one way people ended up dead - they were pull down the stairs and broke their necks.  
  
After that, one of the paintings' arms reached out for his neck, cutting off the air to his lungs. He was lucky though, that the professor had stopped talking and simply flicked the picture on the nose. Egad explained that the portrait was of someone he knew that had a sensitive nose - and also apparently, was a psychopath.  
  
"Are you sure you're not scare, lad? I mean, you've been through quite a bit now."  
  
"Well, I'm not. I don't know why, but spooks just never bothered me." Egad looked at him with a surprised look, before looking back ahead of him. He stopped, holding his hand up to stop the blond as well; Youji halted to a stand still, looking around the hall to see what could pop-up.  
  
"Hmm, I be careful going through here, lad. The walls have ears and hear all, not to mention that the floor has sink holes in them."  
  
"Eh... sink holes?" Youji gave him a narrow look, staring down the dim lit hall.  
  
"Well, we should be moving if you want your friends alive!" Egad signaled his hand forward, walking on down humming lightly to himself. Youji watched as the professor nonchalantly walked on.  
  
// Easy for you to say - you're a ghost, you can float right over the sink holes!! //  
  
Letting out a sigh, Youji followed keeping himself as quiet as he could. If Egad was right about the walls and ears, then the sinkholes are activated by sound not motion. With the professor to far to ask, he hoped that his guess was right and he would not suddenly find himself one floor below.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
"And this why now, we are still here as ghosts. We can't touch or speak to the anyone who enters this place." Omi sat there in amazement at the story Sarah had told him; he would not have believed that curses and ghosts would really exist until now, with everything that has happened. Omi had managed to get over the fact that a ghost was still in Aya's body, and had grown quite comfortable as he watched Sarah tend to Ken.  
  
"Is Ken-kun going to be alright?" Sarah looked up at him with a smile, one hand firmer, but gently pressing against the brunet's chest and the other simply resting on Ken's head.  
  
"He'll be fine. Your friend should wake up in a few minutes." Omi nodded, turning his face towards the fire. He was blushing, but he hoped Sarah didn't see; he knew it wasn't Aya really smiling or taking care of Ken, but it was still the redhead's body. Omi thought that Aya had the most beautiful smile.  
  
Ken made small noises, announcing his awaking; Omi turned his attention back to the brunet, going over quickly in his mind how to explain Sarah to him. Ken slowly opened his eyes, staring up into light blue eyes.  
  
"...Omi?"  
  
"Over here, Ken-kun." Ken turned his head to his right, seeing the youngest member smile and waving at him. Ken blinked, looking back up above him. He let out a yelp, sitting up right and scooted over to where Omi was sitting.  
  
"Um, explanation??"  
  
"Ken-kun, this is Sarah. You could say she's temporarily using Aya-kun's body to help you!" Ken watched as the redhead gave a slight bow, a small smile on his face. Ken backed up a little more behind Omi, a slight nerving feeling rising in his chest.  
  
"Um, Omi?"  
  
"Maybe you should leave Sarah. Ken-kun's not really used to this..." Omi scratched the back of his head, giving Sarah an uneasy smile. However, she smiled and nodded; the two youngest members watched as the redhead closed his eyes. After a few moments had passed, his eyes flew open again, except now in their original amethyst color and shape.  
  
"AYA-KUN!!"  
  
"Wha..." Before he could voice his question, the boy jumped at him wrapping his arms tightly around the redhead's neck. Aya fell back onto his heels, with Omi still clinging to him, burying his face into the redhead's chest.  
  
"Just - what happened here, that you should be glad to see me?" Omi loosened his grip, looking up at Aya with a wide smile.  
  
"You don't remember?"  
  
"Remember, what?" Omi leaned against Aya, settling himself more comfortably on the redhead's lap. Aya shifted to a more comfortable position, one arm supporting the both of them while the other reached around to hold the boy.  
  
"You have a beautiful smile, Aya-kun..." The boy sighed, letting his eyes fall shut; Aya looked down at him.  
  
"You still need to answer me - what was I supposed to remember?"  
  
"Gee, maybe that KEN is still in the room?!" They both jumped, looking up to see the brunet giving them a narrow look. Aya cleared his throat, gently pushing the young blond off him; Omi let go of the redhead, slowly getting off his lap. The boy gave an uneasy smile, a faint blush on his face.  
  
"Gomen nasai, Ken-kun." The brunet let out a sigh, relaxing his face.  
  
"You don't have to be embarrassed, Omi. Youji and I know that something is going on! Just - can it wait till we get out of here and home?" Omi felt his blush deepen, Aya made a small noise standing up to his feet.  
  
"We should get going!" The two blinked, getting up to their feet.  
  
"Go where?"  
  
"Find Youji, since you're too scared to go by yourself." Ken frowned at the redhead, not that it wasn't true. He was too scared to go, not after what he had encountered in the hall. Omi moved to catch up with Aya, reaching to grab his arm in a tight hold - with much surprise, the redhead didn't shake off.  
  
"Oi! Wait for me!!" Ken ran after the two, keeping close to Omi.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
"Well, here we are lad." Youji blinked at the wall Egad was pointing to. He looked at the professor with a queer expression on his face.  
  
"Here, where?" Egad let out a small laugh, giving the blond a light hit on the shoulder. Youji raised an eyebrow at the feeling, but kept his comments to himself, reminding himself that Egad came from the 1800's. The professor tapped along the wall, searching for the right place.  
  
"Don't just stand there lad, start tapping!"  
  
"Uh, right..." Youji moved to the wall, and began tapping in various places, though what he was tapping for, he didn't ask. Egad made noises of slight frustration, tapping and tapping in high and low areas of the wall.  
  
"I know it's somewhere here. This old memory isn't what it used to be." Youji stopped, letting the professor figure out his mind. He let out a sigh, leaning his weight on one leg; he looked around to keep his mind busy while Egad tried to find whatever it was he was looking for in the wall. The blond noticed an old candle holder on a side table up against the corner.  
  
// Why does this seem familiar? Just like the one on the mantle, but this one doesn't have a candle in it. //  
  
Youji looked back to where the professor was still mumbling to himself about not remembering where it was; seeing that he was too busy, Youji walked over to the table, picking up the candle holder. It used to be silver in color, but after years of neglect and collecting dust it blackened, losing its shine; he turned it over again and again, trying to place it somewhere in his life.  
  
// Where have I seen this?! This is practically antique!! //  
  
His head started to hurt, as if something was pounding at it. He placed the candleholder back on the table, leaning one arm on it to support himself, while his other hand gently massaged his forehead.  
  
"I just don't understand!!! It was around here somewhere and - are you alright, lad?" Egad stopped, noticing that the blond seemed to be in pain or troubled by something. He didn't answer; Egad carefully moved closer to the blond, reaching out to lightly tap him on the shoulder.  
  
"You alright lad?" Youji suddenly stood up, straighten himself out; Egad moved back a little as the blond walked past him and over to the wall. Youji tilted his head up a little, glancing at where the wall met the ceiling; reaching his hand up he moved along the wall, feeling for a deep indent in the surface. His fingers found the crevice coming across a small button as well; he pushed down the on the button - the wall standing to the left of them slid open, revealing a hidden stair case leading up.  
  
"You've found it!! This is the way up, good show lad ... Youji?"  
  
"You pronounced it wrong." Youji frowned at the professor, though glad that his headache was gone. Egad shrugged his shoulders, giving the blond a smile.  
  
"What can you expect? I'm not Japanese. No one in this house was." Egad headed towards the stairs, signaling Youji to follow along. The man sighed, smiling to himself; he would have guessed by the names that the people here weren't from Japan.  
  
// Then, why are they here? Why is this house even here if - no one was from here? //  
  
Youji shook his head, keeping his questions to himself. It was a more then likely fact the curse has something to do with all this, not just killing people.  
  
The trip up the stairs was completely silent; Egad didn't hum or mumble to himself for once, instead walked in complete solitude. Youji didn't mind silence that much, but he felt strangely edgy about it - something about the silence bothered him now, in this house. Then again, everything seemed to bother him now - recognition of objects he had never seen before in his life, the sudden migraine he had when the professor was trying to find this passage and now the passage itself was bothering him.  
  
// Not again?! //  
  
He stopped, leaning against the wall surrounding the stairs; he gently rubbed his templates, trying to lesson the pain of the sudden headache he was getting.  
  
"You alright, lad? You seemed to be bothered quite a bit." Egad stood one step above him, looking at him with a slight worry expression.  
  
"I-I don't know... I just have a major headache for some reason. I... I can't explain." Egad rested his hand on the blond's shoulder, gently pushing him down on the step. Youji at first leaned his shoulder downward, but soon got the message and sat down on the step; Egad sat opposite of him, still one step higher.  
  
"Rest then, lad. I don't want you going in there with a pain!" Youji looked up at the professor briefly before averting his gaze to the ground, taking in deep breaths.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Omi screamed as something grabbed him by the ankle, pulling him back down the stairs. Luckily, both Aya and Ken were behind to catch him as he fell back. Omi flung himself in the redhead's arms, crying hysterical into Aya's chest.  
  
"I wanna go home!!" Ken watched as the thing disappeared back into the step; he guessed it was the thirteenth step that should be avoided.  
  
// Thirteenth - go figure! //  
  
Ken thought, looking back to see Aya still holding the boy in his arms. Summoning up whatever courage he had left, Ken walked up the stairs counting each step as he went up. He reached the number twelve, stopping just before the thirteenth; carefully and as high as he could manage, the brunet skipped over the step moving to the fourteenth one. He stood there for a few moments, before deciding it was safe to go the rest of the way; he turned back to Aya and Omi.  
  
"It's okay from here, just skip the thirteenth step!" Aya nodding, picking up the boy in his arms and walked up the creaking stairs to catch up with Ken. Counting twelve, he skipped the next and continued on up with the young blond still being carried. Once he had caught up with Ken, Aya let the boy down to his feet again.  
  
"It's fine from here, and you can walk on your own." Omi stopped crying, wiping away the tears in his eyes. He nodded his head, reaching to grab the redhead's arm holding it tightly. Ken let out his breath, continuing on up the rest of the stairs with Aya and Omi following.  
  
"Do you think, we'll come across anything?" Omi asked in a small, scared voice, burying half of his face into Aya's arm. Ken stopped, turning his head to look at the boy.  
  
"I don't know, Omi. But I hope not!" The boy nodded; Ken turned back to face in front of him, continuing on walking down the hall, mentally telling himself his own plan.  
  
// Find Youji and run like hell! //  
  
Omi looked around the hall, trying to keep his mind off the curse that Sarah had told him about. He noticed an odd portrait on the wall, someone who seemed - out of place. Omi let go of Aya's arm, moving closer to examine the painting; it was a man around maybe he's early 30's, with black hair. Omi shrugged, turning back to catch up with the others. He felt something grab at him, covering his eyes; he let out a scream of terror, gripping at the arms around his head trying to pull away from them.  
  
"OMI!!" He could hear the two yell his name in unison, hearing footsteps running down the hall. In a brief moment, Omi found himself sitting on the floor, with Aya kneeling in front of him and Ken standing along side the portrait. The boy flung himself at the redhead, crying onto his shoulder.  
  
"How much longer - before we are killed?!" Aya wrapped his arms protectively around the boy, trying to sooth him. He looked up at Ken, who was now leaning against the wall one hand pressed against his forehead.  
  
"Ken? What did you do?" The brunet let his hand drop to his side, looking back at the painting.  
  
"I just flicked its nose, that's all. It just seemed right..." Aya blinked, looking back at the painting, before raising an eyebrow at Ken. The brunet shook his head clear, pushing himself off the wall.  
  
"I don't know, he just seems - familiar! And so does that!!" Ken pointed behind the redhead; Aya turned his head, seeing something glint in the little light there was. It was a silver locket or something similar; what amazed him though was how clean the locket still looked.  
  
The silver locket made its way to Ken, who surprisingly reached out and took it in his hand. Ken stared down at it, studying the design and shape of the thing.  
  
"... Ken?"  
  
It was a typical oval shaped locket, with vines engraved as a design in the silver piece; there were no hinges on the locket, so it meant that the locket wasn't the kind that held pictures in it. It was still attached to it chain and in mid condition.  
  
"KEN!!" The brunet blinked, looking towards the redhead. Aya had a curious look on his face, surprising Ken a little; the brunet smiled sheepishly, placing the locket in his pocket.  
  
"Gomen ne, Aya. Well, we should get going and find Youji quick!!" Ken gave an uneasy smile to the redhead, turning back down to the hall and walked on ahead. Aya grumbled, knowing that Ken was avoiding the subject of that locket; sighing, he helped Omi to his feet and kept a good hold on the boy and followed after Ken.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
"Well, here we are lad. This is the room where Master Morse placed the curse." Youji pressed one hand against his forehead, his headache becoming worse. Egad tapped him on the shoulder, getting his attention; Youji turned to face him just a bit, seeing that it hurt too much to move his head fully.  
  
"Are you sure you can do this? Your headaches - they could effect whatever it is you're suppose to do!"  
  
"I'll be fine, I'm sure. Besides, I don't these headaches - are natural..." Egad placed a hand under his chin, going into deep thought again. Indeed he believed there was maybe some connection between the headaches the blond was experiencing and the sudden familiarity of the house and objects within - but really just a theory to him.  
  
"Well, since you seem to know everything in this mansion - do you know how to get us in?" Egad turned to the wall in front of them, pointing at it. Youji removed his hand, staring at the wall; he thought for a moment, but his headache was preventing him from thinking too deeply.  
  
He slowly reached out his hand, running it along the wall till he stopped at a certain spot. He looked up where the wall met the ceiling, running his hand up the stone cracks in a straight line. Once he felt a certain crack, Youji pushed it in, stepping back as the wall slid up into the ceiling.  
  
Youji shielded his eyes from the bright light glaring out of the room, which succeeded in making his headache worse.  
  
"Come on, this is it!!" Youji felt the professor tug on his sleeve once, before walking off into the room. Youji braved the light; he squinted trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. Giving up, he just kept a hand in front of his eyes, following after Egad.  
  
"We're here, lad. Finally we made it!" Youji let his hands drop to his sides as he looked around the room. He felt like he had just stepped into nothing, all it was, was - light, nothing but light. He couldn't see the floor or any walls around him - he just stood in space and nothing more.  
  
"Now - what is it you're suppose to do, lad?" The blond turned his attention back to Egad, his headache oddly gone, but he felt... strange. Not himself.  
  
"I - I don't know..." Egad's face went from a joyous victory to a sudden worry.  
  
"I thought that you would know how - how I'm suppose to save you... I don't know..." Egad reached out, resting his hand on Youji's shoulder shaking his head. He felt slightly disappointed, he thought maybe the Goddess would have let the one know what to do - but she didn't seem so merciful now.  
  
"It's alright lad. I'm sure you'll find out one way or another."  
  
"I don't - I don't know who I am..." The professor blinked, removing his hand with a start. He stepped back from the blond, watching as Youji went down on his knees using his arms to support himself from falling over. Egad noticed the blond's shoulder started to shake.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright, lad?" Youji stopped shaking, standing up to his full again; Egad couldn't help but notice the sudden change of posture in the way Youji was standing. It was a familiar to him - the unusually straight back, head held to a certain rank, the sudden sense of nobility or class he was interpreting.  
  
"Who are you calling 'lad', professor?" Egad's shoulder slacked, his jaw going loose letting his mouth hang open just a little. He knew that tone of voice all too well to forget - even if he was dead already.  
  
"It's not believable, but..." The blond turned to face the professor, with a look that did not match his face and yet - fit so perfectly on him. Egad noticed the eyes, still the same green as they had always been, were back to being harshness and bitterness expressed; the mouth a thin, tense line with not a smile, but neither a frown - expressionless.  
  
"So, the young lad - Youji - is Master Morse himself..."  
  
End~ Chapter 5  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
O.o Told you it was an unexpected twist!! Anyways, yes Youji is the actually Morse - from 125 years ago, so he's basically the reincarnation of Morse, but still the same person...? Nevermind, I don't make sense do I? ^^;; *Sweat drop*  
  
Anyway, pls tell me how I did - I know this is probably getting too, too, too weird for people out there... if I get a hate comment or two, I'll take this chap down and re-think - otherwise, it's just going to stay on the track I have it now.  
  
Well, hope you all enjoyed what I have so far!! 3 More twists coming up in the next few chaps... See you next on "Haunting"!!  
  
Hikari!! ^_^ 


	7. Chapter 6: My Dear Sweet Lucretia

WAIIII!!! GOMEN NASAI MINNA-SAN!!!! I'm sooooo ashamed of myself for being lazy and late!!! *pounds self on the head with metal made frying pan* @_@ *dizzy*  
  
*Sigh* Gomen minna-san, I finally got haunting updated. Sorry for all those wonderful ppl I made wait. (I hope Anna Hibiki and Yoink Daydurfurits aka YD are still around! ^^;; I did chapt especially for you guys, you're wonderful!! ^_^)  
  
Basic Summary: Things are starting to come together, but it still doesn't make any sense yet? And what of now Ken's sudden headaches? What's his relation to the house and who Youji was before?  
  
Warnings: shounen-ai  
  
Pairing: Aya + Omi, Youji + Ken  
  
Rating: R  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So the young lad - Youji - is Master Morse himself..." Egad said softly to himself. He remained silent, observing his former master actions and movements. A long silence had past before Morse had spoken; he turned to face the professor.  
  
"Tell me Professor - are we alive? Or are we dead?"  
  
"I'm afraid I can not answer for you, but as for the rest of the household... we are dead." Egad mumbled a little with his words as he spoke. Morse looked away, gazing down at his glove-cad hands; he began to recall the last five years of life, his sufferings - the lost he greatly paid.  
  
"...Five years..." Egad stopped his mumbling, hearing his former master speaking. He could not see Morse's eyes, or his face because they were covered by his hair.  
  
"Five years and nothing has changed! I live and suffer apart from those I need!" The professor stared with a puzzling look before slowing things had begun to make sense. Egad moved cautious steps towards the younger man.  
  
"I believe this is a second try, another chance to fixed things right again, sir." Both hands tightened into fists, Morse looked up at the professor with a harsh glare, raising his voice as he spoke.  
  
"There are no second chances!! This - this is just another chance to see my sufferings!!"  
  
"Master Morse that's not it!! You have to see..."  
  
"See what? See the lost of my wife? My daughter? And those who I had trusted the most??" Egad stepped back surprised by the sudden emotion Morse was expressing. He had never seen the younger man this upset before or ever.  
  
Morse faced away from the professor, continuing to dwell within his misfortunes. Egad sighed, shaking his head with slight disappointment.  
  
// If only you could see and move on, Master Morse... //  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Ken paused, letting out a hiss of pain; he leaned half his weight against the wall one hand pressed firmly against his skull. He had a sudden aching pain throbbing through his head. Aya and Omi stopped, looking back to where Ken was standing; Omi loosened his hold on the redhead's arm, turning to Ken.  
  
"Ken-kun, daijoubu ka?"  
  
"I think so... god, I have major headache all of a sudden!" Aya slid his arm out of the boy's grasp, wrapping it tight around the blond's shoulders; Omi blushed slightly, but leaned into the protective touch.  
  
"You've been having these headaches for a while now..." Ken attempted to give Aya a glare, but the pain prevented him from doing any facial expressions.  
  
"Are you suggesting - that I have something to do with this house?!"  
  
"It's past! You've been fiddling with that locket as well!" Ken looked surprised at the redhead, looking down in his hand to find the man right about the locket. The brunet placed it back into his pocket, silently vowing to himself to leave it alone there; but Aya took it back out again, holding it up to Ken's face. Ken blinked at the silver jewelry.  
  
"Put it on..." Ken's eyes went wide at Aya's odd command, even Omi looked up at him strangely.  
  
"NANI??"  
  
"Put it on, Ken!" Aya repeated as calm as before, but with a more demanding tone. Frowning, Ken snatched the locket from the redhead's hand. There was no clasp or hook on the chain, so Ken had to slip it over his head, hoping it was big enough for him to do so. Aya watched, waiting for the brunet to place to the locket on; Ken finally got it settled around his neck, letting it rest against his collarbone. Nothing happened.  
  
"Geeze Aya, what were you expecting?! That something would happen when I put on this..." Ken stopped midway of his sentence, mouth dropping slightly open and eyes going wide as the pain of his headache increased. He began to see images and soon heard voices, voices he knew were familiar, but he could not place them. He briefly saw the image of the girl he had seen in the dream downstairs in that room with the fireplace. The next image he saw lasted longer then the rest, it was a man with black hair smoothed back against his head giving it a sleek look, his face was narrow and very angular but somehow handsome; he had deep set, beautiful green eyes shining with passion.  
  
// Who... who does he remind me of? Those eyes... //  
  
Ken could hear voices calling his name, but he could not hear what they were saying. His vision bleaked, colors beginning to fade from his sight as his mind started to clear of everything and anything. The last thing he saw were the green eyes of that man and nothing more.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
** The young lady snuck out through the study window, careful of her dress that it should get tangled and torn. Having successfully climbed out the high-raised window, she quietly trended across the yard careful to avoid leaves or alerting the guard dogs. She reached the hedges, indicating the boundaries of her home; she found her little hand-made path and walked through, holding on to her lavishly, over-decorative dress to keep from getting dirty or ripped.  
  
Once through, she giggled to herself at her accomplishment and ran off in a hurry as if late for an appointment.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
A young man stood by the wooden bridge, twirling a pink rose blossom in one hand; he looked down at his pocket watch checking the time. He couldn't help but sigh at the time.  
  
// She's late again... //  
  
He began to wonder if she even remembered their meeting today; sighing again, he placed the watch back into his pocket, staring down in to the slow, calm moving river, still twirling the blossom in his hand.  
  
"MORSE! MORSE!!" He turned his head, hearing his name being called from a distance; he noticed a figure coming over the hill just a little way away, he recognized it and smiled waving his arm to show he had heard the young woman calling him.  
  
Morse held his arms out when the girl came closer and she did the same, both embracing each other in theirs arms. Morse pulled back slightly, gently pressing his mouth against her soft lips savoring the feeling of them. She pulled back first from the light kiss, a dazed look on her face; Morse presented the rose blossom to her.  
  
"For you, my lovely Lucretia."  
  
"It's lovely, Morse. Thank you."  
  
"Shall we go?" Morse released her, holding his right arm out for her to take; Lucretia smiled sweetly, accepting the out stretched arm.  
  
"We shall..." The two laughed and went off to enjoy their rare day with each other. **  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Ken-kun? Okite kudasai[1]?" The brunet slowly opened his eyes, brown clashing with deep blue; he blinked trying to focus his vision on the boy hovering above him. He heard a different voice speak to him and help him up to his feet, he turned to face the redhead with dreary eyes.  
  
"... A-ya?"  
  
"Snap out of it Ken! We have to find Youji!" The brunet blinked, still being supported by Aya. He used the back of his hand to rub the sleep from his eyes, but he just didn't seem to want to wake up fully. He tried standing on his own, but wavered a little from side to side; before he collapsed again, Omi and Aya caught him holding him up to his feet.  
  
"Ken-kun, please wake up!!" Ken shook his head, trying to rid himself of the sudden drowsiness that had replaced the painful headache.  
  
"Ah... gomen ne, but I can't seem to wake up... so tired..." The brunet's head fell forward, his body going limp in their arms. Omi shook Ken violently trying to keep the older boy awake, but Ken's mind was out of commission giving little response. The younger blond sighed, letting the brunet's arm drop to his side; he turned to Aya.  
  
"What do we do now, Aya-kun?" The redhead didn't answer; he placed the arm he was holding around his shoulder, grabbing the other one to drape on the other side. Still holding one arm, he bent down slightly pulling the brunet onto his back; he then held Ken's legs to keep the younger man from falling off. Once adjusted comfortable, Aya starting walking down the hall again to continue the search for their missing member. Omi blinked, feeling slightly jealous of the brunet being carried on the redhead's back; he moved to catch up with Aya once the fear had begun to settle in again.  
  
"Aya-kun? Do you know where we're going?" Omi whispered, as if afraid to be heard by ears in the walls - which he believed was quite possible now after what he had witnessed. Aya looked to the boy, then looked back ahead, replying in a whisper as well.  
  
"To wherever this hall leads and until Ken wakes up..." Omi nodding, walking close to Aya, but not close enough to be in the way. This wasn't of the best plans they've had since they entered this place, but it was all they could depend on now. Omi silently began praying to whoever was listening.  
  
// Onegai[2]... if anyone can hear me... please... let this be a happy ending!! //  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Morse walked across the light room, pulling the gloves off his hands as he walked. Egad followed silently behind him, one of the gloves hitting him on the head as Morse tossed it aside. The younger man then worked on the trench coat, pulling the zipper down and slipped out of it, leaving him with just the mid-drift shirt and pants.  
  
"Master Morse?" He didn't answer; he paused coming upon the area he wanted to be. Staring intensely at the spot, Morse raised his hands from his sides mumbling something Egad could not understand; from nowhere a dark light appeared forming a shape at first unrecognizable, it soon formed the shape of a thick bound book. The form became solid, landing softly in Morse's open hands; Egad stared wide-eyed at the book.  
  
"That -it... it can't be!!" Morse smiled for the first time, turning to face the professor with that same smile. Egad stepped back from the master, eerie of the wide, sadist smile.  
  
"You said yourself who I was - and I found it! My ancestors' power!!!" Morse held the book above his head, his voice sounding insanely happy. Egad gulped, stepping as far back as he could when a strong rush of wind began to whirl around the entire space, preventing little movement. Egad was glad he was already dead.  
  
Morse started chuckling, softly at first then it grew into an insane laughter, the wind growing stronger. Egad held on to his small round glasses to keep them from flying off his head; the professor watched Morse begin to chant again, softly at first then louder forcing more passion into his voice.  
  
"Master Morse! STOP!!" The younger man ignored him, succeeding in worsening the curse already set upon the old house. Egad felt the wind die down, allowing him movement; he ran over to man, grabbing on to the book. Morse's smile disappeared, turning into a glare when the professor grasped the book; Egad gazed up at him with a determined frown.  
  
"Let go, Professor."  
  
"No, this has to stop NOW!!" Morse removed one hand from underneath the book, holding it in front of the old man's face. Egad looked at the hand before a sharp, blinding light flashed in face sending him flying backwards and on to the floor. Morse began laughing again, tossing his head back from the feel of his power. Egad laid on his side, despite the fact he was a ghost - it had hurt; he felt too dazed to stand, so he laid there watching helplessly as Morse continued with insanity.  
  
// Master Morse... what has happened to you? //  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Eek! Getting a little lost there Morse, uh Youji - uh... whoever!!!  
  
Gomen again for being late... been having trouble lately writing!! TOO MANY IDEAS!!!! GAHHH!! Yes, anyways.  
  
Pls review, and tell me how I'm doing? Ken's sleepiness will be explained, don't worry. He has a twisted part as well! O.o Oh boy...  
  
Stay Tuned next on "Haunting"!  
  
Hikari!! ^_^ 


	8. Chapter 7: Reunion and Separation

OMG!!! O.o I FINISHED SOMETHING!!!! *Celebrates* Wooho!! I finally finished something, but I'm also a little sad that it's finished. *Sniff*  
  
Thank you everyone for the comments and stuff. It really helped a lot for me to reach this far!! ARIGATOU GOZAIMAISHITE!!!!!  
  
Warnings: shounen-ai hints  
  
Pairings: Youji + Ken, Aya + Omi  
  
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"Let go, Professor."  
  
"No, this has to stop NOW!!" Morse removed one hand from underneath the book, holding it in front of the old man's face. Egad looked at the hand before a sharp, blinding light flashed in his face sending him flying backwards and on to the floor. Morse began laughing again, tossing his head back from the feel of his power. Egad laid on his side, despite the fact he was a ghost - it had hurt; he felt too dazed to stand, so he laid there watching helplessly as Morse continued with insanity.  
  
// Master Morse... what has happened to you? //  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Aya stopped, hearing a low rumble from the walls aside of them. Omi stopped just behind him, looking around to find what might have caused the redhead to pause.  
  
"Aya-kun?" He didn't answer; Omi kept quiet, silently understanding that the redhead needed complete silence to pick up whatever he was hearing. Aya listened, his eyes shifting from one side to the other - he had an uneasy feeling about this.  
  
"Come on, we have to find Youji - Fast!" Aya continued walking, going at a faster pace; Omi followed after careful not to run on the older man's heels. After a few minutes of fast walking, Ken began to stir from his sleep opening his eyes. Aya stopped, looking to the brunet on his back; he bent down setting Ken down on the floor. The brunet rubbed his eyes, trying to remove the remaining sleep from his eyes; he looked up at the redhead, his vision a little blurry from the drowsiness.  
  
"A-ya?"  
  
"Ken-kun? Daijoubu ka?" Ken turned his head to Omi, blinking to clear his vision more. He nodded.  
  
"Hai, daijoubu. Still feel a little sleepy though..." Aya helped him to his feet, supporting him in case Ken were to collapse again. Ken kept rubbing his eyes, trying to keep awake, Omi came up on the other side, helping to support him as well.  
  
"Let's go!" Aya and Omi started walking, helping Ken down the rest of the dimly lit hallway. It wasn't long before they came to a wall at the end of the hall; Ken gazed up at it, feeling a familiarity of it. He pulled himself from the support of his teammates, going over to the wall.  
  
"Ken-kun?" Omi blinked, watching the brunet make his way to the wall. Ken stopped, wearily glancing at the spot where the wall met the ceiling; he reached his hand up, standing on his tip-toes to reach the right height. His fingers felt along the wall for a crevice, he found it feeling a small button inside the indent - he pushed down on it and stepped back as the wall to their left slid open revealing a hidden staircase.  
  
Omi and Aya stared at the brunet then to the stairs and back again to Ken. The younger man leaned his forehead against the wall, feeling heavily drowsy again.  
  
"Ken-kun, how did you know that??" The brunet didn't answer, he collapsed on the floor head still pressed against the wall. Worried, Omi went over to his companion to find Ken had fallen asleep again. Aya sighed, going through the entire process again to hoist Ken onto his back; once he was settled, the redhead started towards the stairs.  
  
"Aya-kun, are we really going to - up there?" Omi gulped in the middle of his sentence, pointing to the stairs; Aya stopped, turning his head towards the young blond. Omi looked up at him with wide eyes, full of fright and despair.  
  
"We have to. Youji might be up there - wherever this leads..." Omi bit down on his lower lip, gazing up into the dark stairway. Taking in a deep breath, Omi started walking coming up to where Aya was standing, waiting for him. Omi looked up at the redhead, seeing that he was smiling reassuringly at him.  
  
"Daijoubu, Omi. We'll get out of this."  
  
"Aya-kun..." Aya looked back towards the stairs, and started heading up careful with each step not to send him and Ken tumbling back down. Omi followed, feeling along the wall to partially help guide him, but more for when he had to turn around on the spiraling stair well.  
  
A long period of silence passed between them; the rumbling noises Aya had heard before were louder and seemed closer then last time. He felt a hand reached timidly for the sleeve of his trench coat, causing him to stop.  
  
"Omi?"  
  
"What was that? That rumbling?"  
  
"I don't know..." Omi made a small whimpering noise, slowly letting go of the redhead's sleeve to continue feeling his way up the stairs. His hand soon came up to a corner, indicating a dead end in front of them; Omi stopped, feeling Aya gently bump into him from behind startling him.  
  
"Gomen, Omi." The boy took in deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves as much as he could in his current condition. He turned his head to look at the redhead in the dark.  
  
"It's okay Aya-kun. I'm alright..." Before he had finished his sentence, the wall in front suddenly cracked, streams of light slipping through the cracks. Omi looked back at it with wide, frightful eyes; the cracks grew bigger and wider.  
  
"OMI!!" Aya reached one hand out to grab the boy's arm, pulling down to the floor more roughly then he'd wished. The stone wall blew apart, large rubble flying over their head, tumbling down the stairs or crashing into the wall behind them.  
  
Aya sat up, still holding on to Omi's arm; the blond looked up, scrambling into the redhead's embrace. Aya held on to the boy tightly, staring into the room that was now revealed behind the damaged wall; he looked behind him to find Ken still out of commission, but not injured.  
  
He could pick up laughter from inside the room; still holding on to Omi, Aya headed inwards to the room, squinting a little from the bright light inside. He looked back to Ken to check if the brunet would be alright there by himself; approving that Ken was in no immediate danger, Aya moved on. Omi braved to look up, his eyes watery with tears of fright; he noticed a figure standing in the middle of the room, holding a book in their hands, hair flying upwards to a current.  
  
"Youji-kun...?" Aya looked down at the boy in arms, hearing him mutter something. Omi looked up at the redhead, pointing at the figure repeating what he had said.  
  
"It's Youji-kun!!" The redhead looked to the figure again, studying it more closely. After some time he did recognize it as their missing member, standing in the middle of the of the wind current, laughing insanely. Aya carefully released Omi, pulling out his katana from its case.  
  
"OI!! YOUJI!!" The laughter stopped and the wind died down; the blond glanced at him, not seeming all too pleased with the interruption. Aya stood to his feet, standing in front of Omi with his katana in hand ready to fight if necessary.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Nani?! You know perfectly well, Youji!!" The older man's eyes narrowed slightly at the redhead's comment.  
  
"My name is Morse... You are trespassers!" Morse removed one hand from underneath his book, holding it up towards Aya; Aya held his sword in defensive, preparing for the worst. A flickering light appeared in Morse's hand, round and small in size; an odd smile appeared on the blond's face as the light left his hand and towards the redhead. Before Aya could comprehend the hit, he felt himself being thrown back against the wall, leaving a fairly large, round indent in the stone.  
  
"AYA-KUN!!!"  
  
"Your weapon is useless against my power!" Omi quickly stood to his feet, running over to where the redhead laid face down on the floor. Gently, he shook him on the shoulder, but received no response.  
  
Morse began to laugh again, the wind picking up again its full force. Omi held on to Aya, tears streaming from his eyes from the fright and sorrow of this event.  
  
// So this is how it ends?! Doushite... Doushite? // Morse tossed his head back, the wind carrying his laughter throughout the entire household; dark clouds formed around the area, lighting striking the only tree in the yard setting it a blaze.  
  
"DOUSHITE!!!!!" Omi screamed, crying against Aya's back. A different broke through the chaos, grabbing everyone's attention.  
  
"MORSE!! STOP!!!" Again, the wind died down as the laughter stopped; Morse looked towards the damaged wall leading towards the spiraling stairs. Omi looked to the source as well, his deep blue eyes widening at the person who silenced the chaos.  
  
// ...Ken-kun?! // Omi blinked, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming - but sure enough, it was the second youngest member, standing there in the damaged wall with an - angered look. The blond noticed that Ken had part of his battle gear off - leaving him with just his shirt and pants.  
  
The brunet began to walk through the rubble, heading straight towards the man in the center of the room. Omi moved and opened his mouth to warn Ken not to get too close to Youji, when he bumped into someone; tensed, he looked to find himself face to face with a short, old man with white furry mustache and small round glasses. Omi blinked, not sure whether to scream or faint.  
  
"Um... hello. I am professor Egad. Who are you?"  
  
"Ano - Omi. Tsukiyono, Omi." Egad nodded, a smile appearing on his face; he held out his hand for the blond to take. Omi looked down at the hand, before taking it into his own.  
  
"Pleasure to meet you, Omi." The boy only nodded, unable to believe he was having pleasant conversation with a ghost. A sudden thud diverted their attention to the center of the room, where Morse stood eyes wide with shock and Ken standing right in front of him.  
  
"Lu-Lucretia?" The brunet nodded, hands on his hips; Morse's hands began to shake, his book rested closed on the floor. He stared into hazel brown eyes, seeing the familiarity of a past long gone from his heart.  
  
Omi glanced between the two, questions running through his head; next to him, Egad had his hand on his chin, remembering where he had heard the name before. Finally it hit him, snapping his fingers in recognition.  
  
"Ah, yes, I remember now. Lucretia was Master Morse's wife!"  
  
"EH?!" Omi stared wide-eyed at the professor, then stared back to his two comrades standing in the middle still. The brunet pulled the silver locket out from his shirt, holding it up for Morse to see; a sudden sadness appeared in his eyes.  
  
"Do you remember this? This locket?" Morse didn't answer; he nodded his head with a slight shame. Lucretia carefully pulled it over her (his?) head, holding it out towards the older man.  
  
"Do you remember how to open it?" Again Morse nodded silently, taking the locket from her (his?) hand. He search the piece till he found a small knick on top of the locket; he pushed it down and it opened, revealing two black and tan pictures - one of him when he was young and the other of Lucretia at the same age. Lucretia took it back from him, but kept it open.  
  
"Do you remember what we promised, Morse?" Shamefully, Morse shook his head, not daring to look at her (his?) face. He felt a hand tenderly rest on his cheek, gently turn him to look at her (him?); Lucretia was smiling lovingly, timidly brushing away long, blond strands.  
  
"We promised no matter what happened - if one died and the other lived, we will not allow ourselves to drown in the bitter sorrow, and bring others with us. We shall move on and forget, but..."  
  
"But we shall not forget - each other's love." Morse finished, remembering the promise he had made and broken. Lucretia nodded, closing her (his?) hand around the locket, a small click indicating it was closed; jade green eyes began to flood with tears of shame and disappointment. Morse embraced Lucretia in his arms, sobbing on her (his?) shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."  
  
"Hush now, Morse. It's over now - hush..." Lucretia reached her (his?) own arms around Morse, letting him cry on her (his?) shoulder. Morse stopped, pulling away from the embrace unexpectedly.  
  
"No - No, it's not over yet!" Lucretia stared him confusingly as Morse picked the book up from the floor. Both Egad and Omi dropped their jaws, staring wide-eyed at the man; Morse flipped the book open, glaring at the words on the papers and began tearing the pages out two at a time.  
  
"This is what caused my misery - and so it shall end it!!" Morse turned the book over, breaking the binding of the cover. A strong current started as the pages of the book fell from it place, catching the wind and riding it upwards. The papers began to shred and finally disperse into nothing.  
  
Once the current stopped, Morse glanced over to Lucretia, who was staring at him with a surprised, but happy expression. He felt a small smile form on his face, in response to Lucretia's own.  
  
"Morse..." The older man held out his arms, silently giving an invitation; Lucretia understood and accepted the embrace, leaning into the touch. Morse pulled back slightly, to gaze into Lucretia's eyes, before descending slowly to place a gentle kiss on her (his?) lips.  
  
"Ch-chotto matte!!" Omi made an attempt to move, but Egad held his arm out preventing him. The boy stared at the professor with a confused expression on his face; Egad shook his head.  
  
"Let them be lad... It has been a long time since Master Morse has last been with his wife." Omi only blinked, turning back to his two - possessed friends kiss. A silvery mist appeared from nowhere, beginning to spread itself throughout the household; Omi looked next to him to see the professor begin to fade from view. Egad smiled widely, laughing with joy.  
  
"It's broken! The curse is lifted and now we can all rest - finally, we can rest..." A smile appeared on Omi's own face, remembering what Sarah had told downstairs in the living room area. Egad waved farewell, and the younger blond waved back and the professor disappeared.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Sarah sat on one of the sofas, staring at the empty fireplace. She petted the small, white colored cat on her lap, letting out a sigh; she worried that the one had not made to that room and that suffered the same fate as all those who had entered here once before. She sighed again, looking down at the cat on her lap.  
  
The cat stirred suddenly, hissing into the darkness of the room; Sarah tried to calm him down, looking into the dark to see what presence or aura could rile up the cat. She stood to her feet as a silver mist began to flood the room; the cat hissed more, swatting at the mist with its paws. Sarah looked around panicked; she decided it was best to leave. The nurse bent down to pick up the cat, when she noticed the cat was fading; confused she looked down at her own hands, seeing that she was fading as well. A joyous smile spread across her face, tears overflowing her eyes.  
  
~~*~~  
  
In the ballroom, Terpsichore sat at the black grand piano, playing the very first tune Morse had taught her, when he discovered her interest in music. The young girl watched her hands dance about the keys, striking each key with passion. She was thinking about that blond man and how he had seen her and told her off; she wonder how it was possible that he could do what he did.  
  
Terpsichore stopped playing, hearing something trying to break through the closed ballroom doors. She carefully turned around to face the heavy, wooden doors, just as they bursted open - a silver mist blowing through. Afraid, she back to the piano, arms over her head as the mist past over and by her. Cautiously, she opened her eyes, widening them when she saw she was fading into air; she couldn't understand, but maybe she didn't have to understand. She brought her arms back down to her sides, tilting her head up towards the ceiling, feeling... oddly happy.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Omi watched as the last of the mist disappeared down the stairs; he let out a sigh of relief, glad to have this adventure done and over with. He looked over to Aya, finding the redhead still unconscious - the blond shook his head.  
  
// Poor Aya-kun. He missed the whole thing!! //  
  
The boy crawled over to where Aya laid on the floor, reaching out a hand to shake him on the shoulder.  
  
"Aya-kun? Daijoubu? Aya-kun!" He received a slight grunt for an answer; Omi let out his breath, glad that the redhead was still alive. He tried again, shaking a little harder this time and speaking a little louder.  
  
"Aya-kun - okite kudasai!" Finally, Aya opened his eyes, carefully pushing himself up into a sitting position. He winced slightly from the pain in his back; he looked over at Omi, seeing the boy was alright.  
  
"What happened?" He asked, Omi gave him a nervous look, scratching the back of his head.  
  
"Well - Youji-kun was possessed by Morse... and Ken-kun was possessed by Lucretia, and they broke the curse." Aya blinked at the boy. Omi sighed, shrugging his shoulders before pointing to the center of the room - which was now an actually room instead of space. Aya looked in the direction Omi was pointing, then attempted to keep himself from gapping. Youji and Ken were still tied up in the embrace Morse and Lucretia had left them in.  
  
"A-hem!!" Omi made a small cough noise to grab the attention of his teammates. Both members opened their eyes, immediately pulling away from each other with slightly red faces. Omi snickered at the reaction, glad to see the two were back to their normal selves.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
The four members, made it to the front door, opening it with the same ease as they had entered. Omi hung on to Aya's arm as they walked out of the house, asking a bunch of question from Youji and Ken.  
  
"Youji-kun, what was it like - having all that power and all?"  
  
"To be honest - I really don't remember anything since I entered that room with Egad." Ken and Aya blinked at the older man, confused on who 'Egad' was.  
  
"Professor Egad is one of the ghost, Aya-kun. I met him when Ken-kun was possessed by Lucretia and confronted Morse." The redhead stared down at the boy hanging on to his arm, but decided it was best to not comment on that. They walked down the broke, outdoor steps, heading back down the path that didn't seem so frightening anymore. Youji stopped, feeling he was forgetting to do something, something that was bothering him; he looked back to the house, feeling he was not yet done with it.  
  
"Oi Youji! What are you waiting for?! Let's go!!"  
  
"There's something I forgot! I'll be with you guys in a couple of minutes!" The blond didn't look away from the house once; Ken only shrugged, turning to catch up with the others. Youji stared at the house, not sure what was going to happen, or what he was doing, but he just stared. He watched his surroundings begin to change and grow brighter; soon he saw a small crowd in front of the house, recognizing very few of the people among them. He noticed Egad among the faces and smiled; the professor stepped out, walking towards him.  
  
"Thank you lad. You've done everything possible, thank you..." The shorter man held out his hand for a shake. "...Master Morse."  
  
Youji's features changed to the man that he once was a 120 years ago. He took Egad's hand, shaking it then stopped, pulling the old man into a friendly hug. The professor's eyes widening in surprise at the gesture; Morse let him go, a small smile gracing his normally solid face.  
  
Terpsichore came out from the crowd, hands folded in front of her, an angered expression on her face. Morse stared at her, waiting for movement; finally the young girl moved towards him, leaning her forehead against his chest, tears spilling from her eyes. She screamed softly, pounding a fist against his chest weakly; Morse took her in arms gently, one hand tenderly rubbing the back of her head. She pulled back, heading back past the crowd and into the house.  
  
"She will miss you, Master Morse."  
  
"Remind me again... how I found her, professor."  
  
"Terpsichore was being publicly abused because she was mentally ill. You saved her life and taught her how to play the piano on your own time."  
  
"And what of the others? Sarah, Del... You?" Morse turned to the old man, wanting to remember everything he had forgotten with time and bitterness. Egad sighed with a smile on his face, and began to explain.  
  
"Sarah was a young lady in shame - you took her in because of her ability with healing and her gentle touch. Del was born under your roof, but his mother died shortly after his birth; you and your wife kept him almost as your own. And as for me..." Egad paused, trying to think about how he had come across the man he once served. Morse waited for the professor's story, but a familiar voice pulled his thoughts away.  
  
"I found the professor, remember? And I had asked he could stay because he was amusing to me." Morse spun around on his heels to face a young lady with long, wavy golden hair. Egad blinked for a moment, before laughing with recognition.  
  
"Ah yes. Lactrice, you always found my ramblings a source of entertainment." She smiled at the professor, before turning to face her father. Morse felt tears begin to form in his eyes at the sight of his daughter.  
  
"Lactrice!" The young girl ran to her father, embracing him; Morse hugged her back, holding on to her tight as if afraid he could lose her again.  
  
"Father, I'm so glad to see you again!"  
  
"As I, Lactrice. But - I'm afraid that I cannot stay." He loosened his hold, slowly pulling away from the embrace. Lactrice stared at him confusingly, not understanding what her father could mean. Morse looked down to the ground, not daring to face his daughter - for if he did, he was afraid he would never leave.  
  
"I do not understand." Egad stepped in, taking she hand into his.  
  
"Your father - and mother - both live in blood and flesh. They are not spirits like we are..." Lactrice shook her head, a disappointed expression on her face; Egad nodded, keeping a firm hold on her hand. She looked to her father, but he nodded as well to the professor's response; she pulled her hand out from the professor's, placing a hand on her father's shoulder.  
  
"Maybe... maybe someday, in your lifetime, I'll come. If not... then I'll wait for you - father." He felt Lactrice plant a small kiss on his cheek, before she disappeared. Morse closed his eyes, forcing back the tears streaming down his face, trying to keep the surroundings in focus, to stay. However, when he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the old, run- down, empty mansion - just as it was before.  
  
Youji quickly wiped away his tears, giving one last look at the house, before heading down the path to join the others at the gate.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Youji sat upright in his bed, staring out the window into the night. He briefly looked to his right, to get a quick glance at his sleeping lover. Ken was asleep on his side, face half buried in the pillow; Youji smiled, bringing his knees up to rest his head on them. He noticed a thin, silver chain resting lightly against the brunet's neck. Curious, he followed the chain with his eyes to the oval locket, resting on the mat just under Ken's neck. Youji laid down on his front, propping himself up on his elbows, leaning in to whisper.  
  
"Ken-chan..." No response.  
  
"Ken-chan!" Still no response. Youji gently blew into Ken's ear, making the brunet arch his shoulder to rid the tickling feeling. Youji did it again, this time receiving a light hit in the stomach.  
  
"Oi, cut it out. I'm trying to sleep!!"  
  
"You're still wearing it." Ken groaned, opening eyes to glare at the blond menacingly.  
  
"Still wearing, what?!" Youji slowly pulled the locket around, holding it in front of the shorter man's face. Ken blinked at the object, before an odd recognition dawned on him; he smiled at Youji, shifting his position.  
  
"Do you remember how to open it?" The blond nodded, searching around the object till he found a small knick sticking out on the top. He pushed down on it and the locket open, revealing two pictures; Youji stared in surprise at the pictures that were in there. Seeing the expression, Ken misunderstood it for something else.  
  
"What's wrong?" Youji showed him the inside of the locket, and what it hold; Ken stared at it in surprise too.  
  
"It's us!! But how?"  
  
"The world works in weird ways, Ken. Sometimes - it is best to leave things as mysteries." Youji closed the locket, placing it back down in its place. Ken only smiled, one arm reaching to wrap around his lover's body; Youji sighed in content, holding the smaller man close to him.  
  
The two were about to slowly fall into sleep, when they heard a light thud, followed by an odd yelp in the other room. Ken sighed, burying his face in Youji's chest.  
  
"I think we need to move..." Youji shook his head.  
  
"Iie. They just need to learn to be more quiet. Oyasumi, Ken." Ken hummed his response, letting his eyes fall shut, falling asleep to the stead rhythm of Youji's heart.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! I finally completed my first story!!!!! Now I can move on to another one!! (If, I haven't done that already. ¬_¬")  
  
Thank you, minna-san! I can't thank you guys enough for all the wonderful feedback and all!! ^^ Arigatou gozaimasu!!!  
  
Hikari!! ^_^ (Who is now Hikari12, thanks to ff.net. -_-) 


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